Calamity Factor
by BlazingTank
Summary: Change is the only constant in life. Where the world rises and falls, change will always remain. Whether you like it, or not. SI/OC
1. Chapter 1

_"Removed. Discarded. Memories forever lost to time. I will reclaim what I yearn to be mine."_

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Lost Soul**

The electric buzz of the radio's static sharply pierces my ears. The old lady at the shopping till starts toying with the touchscreen of her iPhone, trying with all her might to operate it. I think I might've heard her swear lightly under her breath there. I definitely catch the "Daft wee thing," that quickly comes after it though.

The old lady eventually settles on a frequency. Radio Scotland. Bit of a dull choice there but, hey, at least it's not any of the pop stations. The weatherman's cheery voice echos throughout the store. I tune him out. I've already discovered first-hand what the weather's going to be like today.

I look out the store window. The clear blue sky and the scorching sun were both there to mock me. I fiddle with the zipper of my hoodie. It's just my luck. Wearing warm clothing on one of the hottest days in what feels like one of the wettest summers ever. That's like being prepared to go into the tundra and then suddenly being dropped in the Sahara. At least in here, I have the cool breeze of the shop's air conditioning to stop me from melting.

I let out a soft sigh. My left hand's stuffed in my hoodie pocket. All the spare change I clambered from the house pot is still there, along with my five year old flip phone. I keep the bundle firmly grasped in my hand as I flicker between the loaves of bread in the aisle. I grab the closest one to me, twisting and turning it from side to side.

Hm. No rips, no tears, no holes. I give the bread a light squeeze. Soft. So far so good. Expiration date? This coming Monday. I dawdle on it for a minute. It... seems to be okay.

Suddenly, my body starts shuddering. I can feel somebody's eyes trailing on me. My head snaps around. The old woman is looking at me. Her withering wrinkled eyes staring at me from across the counter. My body seizes up. W-why was she looking at me?

She's glaring at me. Of course. She's definitely glaring at me. I must have been taking too long with the bread. She thinks I'm a complete weirdo!

"Oy, son?" The woman calls out. "You alright?"

"U-uhhh..." My voice stutters. My mind is tripping over itself, trying desperately to grasp onto some sort of response.

"I-I-I'm fine. T-thank you."

I make sure my eyes don't reach hers. I take the loaf in hand, bow my head and walk right up to the counter. I give the woman a polite little smile and nothing more. No need to embarass myself any further. The radio continues to hum away. It's onto the news section now. Probably something about the civil war again. It's nothing I haven't heard on the television this week. It's not really surprising. No news is good news, afterall.

A loud beep goes straight through me.

"That'll be a pound eighty-nine, son. Would ya like a bag with that?" The aging woman's upbeat voice catches my attention.

"Y-yes, please." My voice jitters. Nodding, the woman goes straight to work. With my left hand still in its pocket, I scramble up change worth a pound ninety. Having extra coins around the house sure is helpful. The woman places the bag with the bread on the counter as I drop the coins into her hands. With a click of a button, the old lady swiftly deposits the money and scoops up the measly one pence change. She snaps off the receipt and offers them both to me.

"That's a penny. Tah much." I take them both and shove them into the bag. I bow my head slightly as I do.

"T-thank you." I repeat.

"...Body was found earlier this morning."

I look to the radio again. The reporter's voice was far less energetic than it was before. Always was when it came to these things. I bite my lip as he continues to talk.

"Mister Dunn, an eighteen year old college student, was found dead with several knife wounds to his chest. The body was found on Airbles road, near one of the local pubs in the area." I shiver slightly. Airbles road. That's Motherwell.

That's not too far from here...

"Bugger me. That poor lad was only out fer a drink." The woman shakes her head at the radio. "That's absolutely disgustin' of some people. Ye cannae even go out and enjoy yerself these days without some scumbag trying to take advantage of ye." I look to the old woman, venom clear in her voice. I don't have much else to add so, I hum in agreement. She leans on the counter, sighing loudly. "I'm telling ye, between the war, the terrorism, and these psychos, the world's becoming a very dangerous place."

...I nod to the old woman, mumbling a meek "Thank you," again before I turn around to leave.

Yeah. It's a dangerous place alright...

* * *

I take the same old route I always do. Quiet, peaceful and the least likely path for me to meet any of my classmates. Just how I like it.

I type away on my phone, albeit a little slowly. A few more characters here and... send.

'Got bread. Be home soon. P.S. What time will you be back from the pub tonight?' There. I slip the phone back into my pocket. I should hear back from her in a bit. She's pretty quick with these things...

I shake my head. She'll be fine. She's my big sister, afterall. I'm just being paranoid. Yeah. That's it.

I'm just... being paranoid.

I let out a dry groan. Bloody heat. I should've brought a bottle of water or someth-

Body lurching forward. Can't rebalance. I'm falling. Arms up. Protect face. Brace!

I hit the ground with a grunt. My arms flare up. I let out a shrill hiss as my mind registers the pain. Yet, the burning feeling in my arms quickly subsided. Quickly replaced with the feeling of a thousand needles being stabbed into my skin. My body wasn't boiling anymore. It was... cold. Freezing. Like...

Snow?

Bag still in hand, I stumble back up to my feet, each step causing a loud crunch underneath my shoes. There's no pavement anymore. Just a great white blanket of snow covering as far as I could see. Surrounding me were barren snow-coated trees. Standing crooked and lifeless. The icy wind blows through my bones. I have to huddle my body together. Even with my hoodie on, it simply wasn't warm enough to protect me from this kind of weather. Every single time I let out a breath, it comes out as a cool hollow mist. I look up to see...

The moon. The largest I've ever seen it. Glowing brightly against the night sky. There's no sun: no bright blue sky, no town. Nothing. Just... where in the hell am I?!

Phone. I still have my phone. I can still call for help. Wherever I am. I scramble into my pocket, grabbing hastily for my phone. I force the top open. It still says it's the afternoon. That's not even close to being right. I look to the signal bar.

The bar is empty.

There's... there's no signal.

There's no way for me to call home. No way for me to call for help. No way for me to even tell anybody that I'm even still alive. I'm stranded. Out here. In the middle of nowhere. Armed with nothing but a loaf of bread: a handful of spare coin, my own hoodie, and a phone that's practically useless!

My chest burns. My breathing is hoarse and sparse. My body's moving by itself. I can't think. I can't breath. I can't... I can't...

"No..." My knees fall beneath my weight. The bag falls to the ground with a light thump. My arms wrap themselves around my head. "No..." I repeat the word like a mantra. Over and over again. Like they had some kind of power to them. "No. No. No." This isn't real. None of this is real. It can't be real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real! _It's not real!_

...Yeah.

Yeah, that's right. This isn't real. This isn't real at all. This is... this is all just a dream! Yeah! That must be it. I mean, look at where I am. Random forest I've never seen before. Going from one place to another out of nowhere. Moon bigger than it should be? This is totally just one of my dreams! It's just... really vivid! That's all. I must've fallen asleep a long time ago.

I start chuckling to myself. Everything's... fine! I'm okay! I push myself back onto my feet again. I'm wobbling a little but... I-I think I'm going to be alright! I grab my bag again, sliding my phone back into my left hoodie pocket. I put a hand up to my heart. I repeat the words again and again.

I'm okay. This is all just a dream. There's nothing wrong.

A growl makes my heart skip a beat. Swallowing down a ball of saliva, I turn my head to look. As soon as I do, my eyes meet a vicious pair of pure red. Prowling out in the distant trees was... some kind of monster. A beast with ghastly black fur with white bones adorning its face and body. It has claws that could cut a man to pieces and a maw that could far much worse.

I step back. I-I don't know why I stepped back. I-I mean, this is nothing. Right? I-It's all part of the dream! Yeah! I always die at these parts! W-what am I getting so worked up about? I let out another gasp. The monster wasn't alone.

Out from the cover of the trees is another beast. From there, another. More and more, viciously snapping their jaws. Nautious black drool dripping from their mouths. A full pack of them. Too many for me to count. My body is shaking. I shouldn't be shaking. They're... They're... They're...

"Get the hell away from me!" I throw the bag as hard as I can at them. As soon as I throw it, I run. I run as fast as I possibly can. Faster than that, even.

I dart through the trees, kicking up snow with each bound. I don't look behind me but I could feel their claws clamouring for my back. The feeling just makes me want to run even faster. I trip and I fall but my impulses force me to rebound every single time. I'm like a rabid animal, working purely on instinct. I'm drunk on adrenaline. I don't have the time nor the ability to think right now. Before I realize, I find myself running in the middle of open ground. No cover.

For just a second, I peek over my shoulder. They're there. Gaining quickly on me. The closest one launches itself at me, claw in the air. My body screams at me to dodge. With every ounce of strength in my body, I plant my feet into the ground. I press down hard.

I jump. It slashes at me. I land on the ground hard but I'm still breathing. I-I dodged it! I moved out of the way! I'm okay!

I try to push myself up but I don't budge. My body steadfastly denies me. What? B-but I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me! I look down to my side and...

Oh. Oh no.

Blood begins to pour out of my side. After a couple of seconds, the pain finally reaches my mind. A scream rips out from my throat. The searing hot wound causes me to writhe against the snow. The pain is unimaginable. This isn't like anything I've ever felt before. It's excruciating! Something wet falls down my cheek. My hands dig into the snow as my body tries to crawl away from the monsters. Before I have the chance, they start to surround me. There's nowhere for me to go. I'm trapped.

This... this isn't a dream. This is a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare. I just want to wake up already. I look up to see the wolf-like monster barring down on me. Tears still falling down my face, I let out a soft whimper. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die. I...

"I just wanna go home."

The beast roars. It's claw aiming straight for my face. I force my eyes shut. I hear a slash. A gust of wind blows into my face. Slowly, I open my eyes to see...

Rose petals.

Lots of them, fluttering gracefully in the wind. Standing before me was the monster. It's arm had been cut clean off and a figure in a red cloak stands between us. Braced in their arms is some sort of scythe, fully clad in black and red. I blink once and the beast is already dead. Another slash from the scythe took its head clean off from its shoulders.

The pack howls fiercely The figure turns around and rushes towards me, grabbing me by my left arm. I offer no resistence, I don't have the strength to do so anyway. With ease, the figure picks me up. I gaze around at the wolves as they start charging at us. I blink again.

When they open again, the figure slides to a halt. I look back to see the monsters completely on the other side of the clearing. I don't know how they did it but the figure somehow managed that dodge every single one of them. I didn't even see it. Slowly, the figure settles me back down on the snow.

Softly, they whisper "I'll be right back."

"A-ah..." The words coming out of my mouth are garbled. I can do nothing else but watch as the figure walks toward the hoard. They... they're crazy! There are way too many of those things! They're going to get themselves killed!

Another blink and the figure disappears from sight. Another blink and one of the creatures is carved right in half. Just then, I hear a gunshot come from the ongoing fight. One of the wolves body caves in from some sort of blast. Did... did that come from the scythe? What the hell? My eyes try to follow the red cloak but they always end up falling behind. Another slice. Another kill. Another bullet. Another kill.

One by one, the monsters fall. Their attacks can't hit their mark. It's like they were swiping at thin air. More slices. More gunshots. More death. It's a hailstorm of blood, bullets and roses. This is... this is way beyond me. My eyelids are beginning to falter. I'm starting to fade away.

There's only one of them left. It takes a swing at the cloak. It makes a direct hit. I yelp with the sickening strike. Nobody could've survived that. I look to the figure's crumbled body when they... start to get back up. Th-they're still alive! How can they move after something like that?! Wh-what are they?!

It barely takes them longer than a second to carve the last wolf to pieces. Th-they did it. They killed every last one. It wasn't even close!

The figure's hood falls down. Turning around, I can finally see their face.

It's... a girl. She doesn't look that much younger than me, actually. A girl with some sort of gun-scythe saved my life. That's just... unbelievable. That's totally crazy! This can't be happening. I...

I can't hold on. The snow I'm laying on over the course of the fight had turned a deep bloody red. I feel... so tired.

My body starts to slump. I can't even feel the sheer coldness of the snow anymore. The girl runs up to me. I can barely keep my eyes open anymore. She says something but I can't hear a thing. I look at her face and as I drift off, my mind could only focus on one singular detail.

Silver... Eyes...

* * *

 **A/N: Updated 08/03/17** Well, here it is. The every day writer's public execution. A Self-Insert. Nobody's going to take me seriously after this is said and done. Still, I felt like I needed to give it a shot. Could be good. Could be bad. Could be downright awful. So, let's take it for a ride.

So, without giving too much away, I just want to clarify a few things involving the story.

1\. There will be considerable changes throughout the story. Most of these will be due to the main character's lack of knowledge of the world. The story will deviate greatly from canon while still keeping its connection to the source material. There will be no railroading here. Change is the name of the game.

2\. Through character development and the decisions made, characters and character relationships will differ somewhat from the original. Two characters who may not have been close in the original may become friends here and vice versa. Also, there won't be any five member teams and OC teams won't be introduced until later.

3\. Besides ReNora, all pairings are currently undecided and some canon pairings may not surface in the story.

Updates may be a little slow due to a combination of real life and some hardcore perfectionism but I'll do my best to keep up some sort of pace.

This story was inspired by several different Self-Insert stories such as Gone2GroundEX's Asleep, Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine, Lang Noi's Catch Your Breath and Vaengir's Iryo-nin Kasa. If you haven't already, go check their stories out. They're all really bloody good.

So what did you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Made you hate humanity? Tell me in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Meet The Family**

Dry.

Everything feels so dry. It's like I've been sleeping in the middle of a wasteland. Instinctively, I swallow down a sliver of saliva. It scraps down the back of my crusty throat making me let out a small groan. Waking up in the morning has always felt really crappy but it's never been this bad before. I open my weary eyes. Strange. I don't recognize the colour of the ceiling.

Slowly, I attempt to sit up. Every fibre of my being aches as my body bends forward. I let out a hiss as my spine straightens. My gaze drifts around the room. Grey walls, blue curtains, room emptier than it should be. This... this isn't my room.

"W... What?" I croak. What am I doing here? Why aren't I-

Snow. Monsters. Rose petals.

My eyes widen. I throw off the covers cuddling my body. There, wrapped tightly around my bare waist, is a bandage. On my right side is a dried splatter of blood. It happened.

Last night was real.

"Oh, god..."

I bury my head into my hands, rubbing my temples. I don't understand this. I don't understand any of this. Why did this happen? What did I do? Did... Did I do something wrong? Did I screw something up somewhere? But... but I didn't do anything! I never hurt anyone! I was going to...

I stop rubbing, sighing deeply as I do. Sitting here and wallowing in self-pity isn't going to solve anything. Right. Okay. So then...

How do I get back home?

I roll my shoulders back. Well, first things first, let's get out of this bed. I'll grab my clothes: grab my stuff, grab a map somewhere, find out where I am and then I can figure out what to do from there. I don't know anything about this place. It's better to have some kind of idea before I jump into anything.

I nod to myself. Sounds like a plan.

Twisting my sore body over, my eyes catch the contents on top of the bedside table. Both of which make me raise an eyebrow. The first is a bowl of what looks to be soggy corn flakes slowly being assimilated by the excessive amount of milk. The other is, believe it or not, a neatly bundled stack of clothes.

My clothes. My face tilts slightly. I step off from the bed but, as soon as I put pressure on them, my legs falter and I almost end up on the floor for my troubles. Luckily, I manage to latch onto the table to halt my momentum.

"Crap!" I exclaim, climbing back onto my feet. It's like my legs had never been tasked with holding me up before. I was only out the night. Stupid wimpy body.

I continue to rely on the table for support. Wobbling, I pick up my t-shirt stacked right on top of the pile. I can only tilt my head. Instead of a hole big enough for me to stick my whole arm through, I find that the hole has been expertly stitched up. Seriously, the work is so well done that it forces me to look closer to see the patch. It's like it was never harmed in the first place. That's...

Weird. This entire situation is just uncompromising in how weird it all is. I shake my head. Focus. I need to focus. I flick through my folded pile of clothes. Just a quick check.

T-Shirt. Check. Jeans. Still on, thank God. Taking the shirt off was bad enough, I shiver. Socks. Check. Shoes. Check. Hoodie...

Where's my hoodie? Wh-where is my hoodie!? My phone in there, too! I need them!

My eyes dart around the table. Not at the side. Not underneath. No, no, no. Oh, come on! Where is it?! Where is it?! _Where is it?!_

I start panting heavily. I put a hand up to my heart. Calm down. Calm down. Calm... My heartbeat slows itself. Alright. Stop panicking. If they took my shirt and socks off, then they must'be taken my hoodie and phone too. They should still be in this house somewhere. The plan hasn't changed. Hoodie. Phone. Map.

Let's get dressed first.

* * *

The door closes with a delicate click. Cautiously, my gaze switches from corridor to corridor. Thankfully, there's nobody to be seen.

Good.

My hand hovers over my wound as I walk away from the door. Now, I have two options on where to start looking. First, there's upstairs. Right where I am. Here, there's an ensemble of closed doors scattered throughout the hall. My phone might in one of them if one of the family members decided to keep it for themselves.

On the other hand, there's downstairs: where the bins are likely to be. If they decided to trash my hoodie, it's bound to be in one of the bins down there. Of course, I might be wrong on both accounts. They could both be together or they could already be gone by now...

I rest my fingers on my chin. So, where should I check first?

...Right.

Let's check downstairs first. I did leave my phone in my hoodie afterall. There might be a chance they didn't bother with it and simply left it alone. I'd save a lot more time if that's the case. My phone's considered pretty ancient nowadays.

Step by step, I tentatively trail down the stairs. Trying my best not to make too much noise. Instead of there being a front hall at the bottom, I walk down into what looks like the living room of the house. Warm brown wooden walls, paintings adorning the room complete with rugs a dark mixture of green, and a soft looking sofa facing what looks to be... some sort of box? I'm not sure exactly what is it. It's kind of like a TV box set without the actual television.

Ahah! There's it is! My hoodie practical pops out with its navy shade of blue against the green sofa. A bright smile on my face, I rush towards the hoodie. They didn't throw it out afterall. Thank god. I pick up the hoodie with gusto. However, my smile quickly fades. Much like the T-Shirt, there is a patch stitched where the hole from last night was.

Except, this one isn't finished. Half of the patch isn't stitched into the fabric leaving it sticking out like a sore thumb. Right where the stitching stops is a thread and a sewing needle. The fact that these people tried to sew up my clothes is weird enough but, it looks like somebody had to rush out or something. Strange. Just... strange. Maybe I could try and sew it myself?

A scoff escapes from my throat. Yeah. I'll probably just screw it up as usual. Maybe end up with the needle stuck in my thumb. I'd better come back to it. I stuff my hands into its pockets. Nothing. Of course. Should've known it was too good to be true. I'm not that lucky. After putting the hoodie back down, I peer over the side of the sofa. Carefully placed right next to it is... a dog bed?

The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I spin around to see...

"Arf!"

A Corgi. Small, dark... and just the most adorable little thing I've ever seen!

Wait, wait. Cool it. He might be cute but he also has teeth. Sharp teeth. Better make sure he's friendly first. Slowly, I put up a hand in front of the dog's face. It might be a little dangerous but if I run now, he's sure to catch me easily. He sniffs my hand intensively. Despite trying my best not to, my hand jitters ever so slightly as he does. If he tries to bite me, I'll be ready to dodge. He stops sniffing.

He licks my hand. Yes! He's friendly!

"Hey there, little guy!" I stroke him under his neck. The dog leans into my hand and wags his tail energetically. Oh! He's just so cute! He's as cute as my dog! Well, okay. Almost as cute. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!"

I take a closer look at the dog's red collar, cradling the dog-tag in my hand. Engraved on it is the dog's name.

"Zwei, huh?"

"Arf! Arf!" Zwei barks cheerfully, his tongue laying comfortably outside of his mouth. Aww! How could anything with a face like that possibly be a danger? He's just a little cutie!

I shake my head. Focus. Focus. Still need to find my phone. I bend my knee slightly, lowering myself closer to the excitable Zwei. "Hey. You wouldn't have seen my phone around here, have you?" The Corgi just tilts his head. My fingers mimic the size of the phone. "About this size. Silver casing. Hurts when you chew it?"

The words "Arf," are my only answer. I sigh again.

"Didn't think so." Better try upstairs then. Before I started moving, I catch the large bookshelf stuffed in the corner of the room. Neatly compiled and sorted are copious amounts of books. Almost as much as my sister's room, and that's saying something. I rest my hand on my waist. Might be an idea to try looking for that map here.

However... that bookshelf's tall. I mean, really tall. Yes. Definitely very tall. I mean, tall enough that any person of average height would surely have problems with it. Yes, that's it. Definitely too tall. Very tall. Have I mentioned that it's tall? I wouldn't be able to reach the whole thing because it's tall, not because I'm sho...

...rt. I sigh deeply to myself.

I'll, just, grab the nearby chair.

"Bloody small body. You suck..." I place the chair exactly where I need it to be, carefully planting my feet onto the fluffy cushion. I cycle through the list of books they have available. Nothing really interesting stands out to me. There's a few on gardening here and there. I see one on a how to work what I think is a motorcycle and the rest are fiction books with names I've never heard of. No map so far. I keep my feet steady as I lean towards the bookshelf more.

I reach out for the very top but my arm's length halts before I can make it. "Damn it," I curse out loud.

"Arf!" Zwei barks. Yeah, I hear that. This thing has to be a pain for anyone under six feet. Unfortunately, I can't see any of the book's titles from here. I'll need to... use the very top of the chair to reach it.

Oh. This is going to end poorly. I just know it. With no lack of hesitance, my right foot stands firmly on the chair top. I count. One. Two. A one, two, thre-

"What are you doing?"

My leg jolts. Caught off balance. Falling! I'm going to land on my neck!

My momentum comes to a stop. My feet scramble around for something to secure themselves on and find the chair again. I have to blink twice. My heart is pounding something horrible. Gulping, I look down and see that someone had hooked their arms around mine to stop me.

"Woah! Geez. Jumpy much?" The voice is feminine, I could tell that much. It's light. Upbeat. Jolly even. I tilt my head up to see...

Violet? No. Lilac eyes. She smiles at me.

"You okay?"

"Ah... Um..." I fumble over my words, yet again. I break away from her gaze, blood rushing up to my face. I can only answer with a meek bob. The girl's smile brightens.

"Good. It'd suck if you had to go back to bed just as you got up."

"Yang!" Another voice cries out from the upper level. It sounds high-pitched, full of energy and... eerily familiar.

I blink, and in a gust of rose petals, she appears. The girl with the silver eyes. The girl who saved my life. The girl who annihilated those hell spawn all by herself.

"Yang! Yang! He's not in his room. He's not in his room! He's gone! He's gone! I went into his room and he wasn't there and he's still injured, and I can't find him andIwassupposedtolookafterhimandIdon'tknowwherehe- Oh. You found him. Uh, good job!"

She's... not even close to what I thought she would be. 'Yang' doesn't miss a beat. Taking one of her arms away from me, she waves to her...

"Heya, sis!" Oh. She's her... sister? Honestly, I can't see the resemblance. Well, maybe she's adopted? "You were right! He's even lighter than he looks!"

I flush a bright red.

* * *

The clock ticks away as I fidget slightly on the living room sofa.

After 'Yang' moved the chair back, with strength so indomitable that it made me jump out of my skin, the sisters ushered me to the sofa. After seeing Yang lift that chair over her head without breaking a sweat, I didn't dare object.

I managed to catch my saviour's name from Yang.

Ruby. With her dark red hair, red cloak and round cherry face, the name seems rather fitting. Currently, she's sitting in the chair Yang just moved back, swaying her legs to and fro. Every now and again our eyes would meet but I couldn't handle hers for more than a measly second.

Yang, on the other hand, is leaning casually up against the wall with her arms folded. Now that I managed to get a better look of her, she's pretty... tall. A few inches taller than me at the very least. Her hair seems to be on the brighter shade of blonde. So much so that it looks kind of like gold. If it wasn't for their eye colours, they are far too lively to be contacts, I would've just assumed that they dye their hair. Maybe that's just how people look around here. It's not the weirdest thing I've seen in the last day or so.

For the last few silent minutes, I keep my head down and pamper Zwei. I'm pretty much just using him as an excuse to not get into a conversation with anyone. I used to do it all the time. Didn't have anything to talk about? Go play with the pet. It's far less stressful anyway. Occasionally, the two would attempt to ask me questions and every time, I would panic and flounder my words. I feel like reaching out for my hoodie again but with the needle and thread still lodged in there, I don't want to risk tearing the hole even further. I don't want a ruined hoodie.

Suddenly, the front door swings open.

"Girls! I'm back!" The two girls light up as soon as this new voice enters the room.

"Hey Dad!" Ruby jumps up onto her feet.

"Welcome back!" Yang pushes herself off the wall. I turn my head around.

Carrying a bundle of shopping bags in his arms is a muscular tall blonde man who, honestly, looks young enough to be in his early thirties. His voice, while gentle, holds a certain amount of authority to it. This guy is the spitting image of a father. Yang walks over to her Dad, taking the bags in her arms. He thanks her before turning his sight to me.

"Oh! You're up and about? Good! We were starting to worry you were never going to come out." I tilt my head. Huh? I was only out the night. Yang leans in to his ear, whispering something or other. My chest starts to burn up. Wh-what is she saying to him? What are they planning? Th-they're going to do something horrible to me, aren't they?! I bite my lip.

'Dad' nods to Yang, whispering something back to Yang.

"Hey, Ruby. Could you give me a hand with all this?" Yang displays the bags in her hands.

"Hm? Yeah, sure." Ruby follows Yang through to the kitchen, leaving me alone with both the father and Zwei. I have to swallow down the saliva I've been collecting in the last couple of minutes. I grasp my jeans tightly as he moves around to take a seat.

"So, how are you feeling?" I go to answer, but my mouth is adamant that it stays shut. I keep my gaze on my hoodie. 'Dad' rubs the back of his neck. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. You're safe here." I unconsciously play with my fingers while he talks. "What's your name?"

I feel a clog at the back of my throat. I open my mouth again but the best I can get out were croaks. I look to my hoodie, my arm wavers as I reach out for it. However, I slowly put my hand down. It's still not fixed. I'll just make it worse if I touch it.

'Dad' groans to himself. "Crap. I completely forgot to finish sewing that." He scratches his head. He takes the hoodie in his arms, giving me a small smile. "Just wait a second. I'll have this all finished in not time." I blink but I don't object. I just watch as he goes to work, weaving the needle in and out of the patch. The tempo is hypnotic. It's almost like watching Mum work. I continue watching until he finally finishes fixing it up.

"There you go. Good as new." He hands the hoodie over to me. I take a once-over on his work. While I'll always notice the patchwork done on the right side, the hoodie doesn't look all too different than from when I was first dropped here. I can feel a small smile crawl onto my face. I can't help it. I reach out and grab the navy-blue hoodie. Here it is. Back in my possession.

Zwei jumps off me, giving me the chance to stand up and quickly put the hoodie on. With a satisfying click from the zip, I close the hoodie over my T-Shirt. Its warmth hugs me. I finally feel safe. I let out a fresh breath of air. I bow my head to him.

"Th... thank you, sir." He waves me off.

"Please. Just call me Tai." I sit back down again; my hands laying on my lap. The pressure on my chest slowly lifting. Tai leans forward. "So, will you tell me your name please?" My gaze drifts slightly across the room. I nod gingerly to myself.

"E... Eren. M-my name is Eren." Tai looks at me like I'm talking a completely different language. I'm not exactly sure why. My name's not that uncommon or anything. Regardless, Tai continues.

"Okay, Eren. Do you have anyone you can contact? Parents? Friends?" I simply let my head dip, shaking my head and mumbling a "No."

"Alright. Do you have anywhere to go?" Once again, I shake my head. I don't know if he's just keeping his emotions to himself, but it doesn't look like Tai is all that surprised. Maybe he's already figured that I didn't have any friends. Heh...

Tai nods. "I see... Okay then."

"U-um..." I start. "Do... do you know where my phone is?" Tai just stares at me for a couple of seconds. I start playing with my fingers again. Suddenly, Tai smiles. He calls out to the kitchen.

"Ruby? Sweetie? Could you grab that device I left in your room?"

"On it!" Ruby calls back merrily. Ruby races up the stairs, returning with the silver flip phone in seconds. "Here you go. Don't ask where the ice cream stains came from." She pauses. "It wasn't me." All... right then.

Tenderly, I collect the phone from her. After a few brief minutes of examination, I'm certain that it is indeed still fully functional. I slip it back into my pocket.

"T-thank you." My voice sounds a bit higher than I intended it to be. I can give it a better look at it later. I don't think it was hit or anything during the attack. It should still be okay. Still, why did Tai leave my phone with Ruby?

"Is there something wrong?" Tai asks me. I flinch slightly, rapidly shaking my head.

"Oh! I-it's nothing." Tai hums to himself, standing up from his chair.

"Well, if you don't have anywhere to go, we'd be more than happy to lend you the guest room for a while?" I step back a little.

"No!" I jump up from the chair. The room goes quiet. I... I think I might have said that a little louder than I thought I did. Both Tai and Ruby are staring at me. It's beginning to feel physically painful to be in the room. "I... I mean, uh..." I'm really not too sure about this. I might not have anywhere to go right now but, this family is starting to creep me out.

Saving my life? Taking me in? Cleaning and fixing my clothes? Giving me food? And now they want to house me?

What are they after? What do they want from me? There's no way that anyone would be this nice and not expect anything for it. It's all a trick. I know it is!

"I... I wouldn't want to be a bother." The silence is deafening. Then, Tai chuckles while shaking his head.

"Please. You wouldn't be a bother. I'm a huntsman. Helping others is what I do." That name gives me pause. Huntsman?

"What's a huntsman?" I say aloud. All of a sudden, Tai's face darkens. I have to step back slightly.

"You don't know what a huntsman is?" Yang appears from the kitchen door. Now, all three pairs of eyes are trailing on me. I should've kept my mouth shut but I genuinely don't know what they're talking about. Ruby jumps in, her face aglow with every word she speaks about these Huntsmen.

"Huntsman are super cool! They're trained elite warriors who fight against the Grimm and protect people who can't protect themselves. Yang and I are Huntresses-in-training! We're studying at Signal and then we're going to go to Beacon!" Oh... Okay. Well, I caught the part about the huntsman at least but...

"Um, what are Grimm?" Ruby's face drops slightly.

Yang folds her arms, eying me incredulously. "Uh, you're joking right? Please tell me you're joking."

"U-um..." Crap. These things much be common knowledge around here. I must look like a complete idiot right now. They're going to ask me so many questions! Tai sighs, tussling his hair.

"And here I thought I wouldn't have to teach today." He pats down on the sofa. "Sit down, Eren. We've got a lot to get through."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, just going to skim over all the exposition. I'm not going to waste everybody's time talking about stuff that everyone knows up until this point.

Hope I managed to portray everyone effectively enough. I don't quite think I've gotten a proper feel for everyone just quite yet. I think I'll soon slip into it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - A Drunken Wager**

Unravelling, the bandage tumbles down to the bathroom floor.

For the first time in days, I can feel the cool air brush against my waist. Through the mirror, I can see the scar lay bare on my skin. I wince. Not because of the scar itself, mind you. I know there was no chance in hell of it not leaving a mark. What bothers me is the size of it. It was much smaller than I thought it would be. I sigh to myself.

Taiyang was right. It was just a graze. I should feel really lucky for surviving that but honestly, I think that just makes it a whole lot worse.

A few days ago, Tai told me all about the monsters that attacked me that night.

The Grimm.

To summarize, they're soulless bastards that feed on the negative emotions of humans and they've apparently brought humanity to the brink of extinction. They are everywhere and I mean, everywhere. The only places you can truly feel safe from the Grimm are the Kingdoms and there are only a certain few of those in the world. That's not even the worst part. See, those things that attacked me on the first day? The ones that almost... took my life.

They're called Beowolves, and they're common as dirt. They're the weakest kind of Grimm out there. Bottom of the ladder. Cannon-fodder.

A graze from one of their claws almost killed me. A graze, and you're going to tell me that there are Grimm even stronger than them? There's no way I'm going to be able to look for a way back with those... beasts out there. There's no way around it. Without training, I'm going to die.

Hell, even if I had basic training, it wasn't going to be enough. I'd need years upon years of experience in order to fend them off alone. I need something better than basic.

Actually, I'm going to need a lot more of everything. That's partially why I'm still here.

After finally agreeing to stay with them, I tried my best to gather as much information as I possibly could from Tai. Basic stuff like where I am, how their society works, and most importantly, how being a Huntsman works. Granted, the family did end up asking me piles and piles of questions in return. To which I answered most of them with an honest 'I don't know.' To them, I'm just some weird homeless kid who's apparently been living under a rock all his life. I also come from a place far, far away. I can't really tell if they bought it but they didn't push me.

Ever since then, I've been keeping my distance from the family the best I can. Staying out of their way, dodging conversations the best I could and eating alone in my room. It might be a little... lonely, but it's for the best. If anything, it's given me plenty of time to think. To figure stuff out. After my talks with Tai, I think I know what I need to do.

I take out my phone, flipping it open. A few carefully placed clicks later and the old picture pops up onto my screen. I focus on their faces. What they would say to me now. What they think I should do. The encouraging words that my Mother and Sister knew would push me forward.

I take a good hard look at myself in the mirror, gently swaying my fringe to rest just above my left eye. Like I've always had it. Same pale complexion. Same thin body. Same everything, really. I let out a dry laugh. Yep. I'm still the same old me.

I snap the phone shut, nodding to myself. Right.

I have to talk to Taiyang.

* * *

I reach the bottom of the house stairs, casually clapping Zwei on the head as I pass by him. From the kitchen, I can hear the taps pump out boiling hot water, quickly followed by intense scrubbing.

"Morning Eren!" It's Tai. How does he always know when it's me? I try so hard to keep quiet too...

"M-morning, sir!" No. Wait. He hates it when I call him sir. "I-I-I mean, Tai!" Great start Eren. You already sound like a complete twat. I sigh to myself.

A heavy thump at the door makes me jump out of my skin. Another thump. Yet another. Someone's at the front door. That's... concerning. I don't actually know how far away from the rest of Patch we are but it's far enough that you'd still have to make quite the trek in order to get here. That's yet another reason why I didn't try to leave. Between that, the freezing weather and the Grimm, I'd be dead before I reached town.

I hear a groan from the kitchen. "Eren, could you do me a favor and get the door for me? I'm a bit tangled up here."

I... I think I blacked out for a second there. Did he say to, uh, 'Get the door?' I-I mean, I think I might've heard him say that. Can't be too sure though. Could've been something else! Something that I can actually do! Like, uh, cleaning! That's right! I should offer to do the dishes for him! Then he can get the door instead!

"O... Okay."

I repeat. I am my own worst enemy. I fiddle with my hoodie zipper. My nerves were all over the place as I slowly creep towards the pounding door. Timidly, my arm reaches out for the handle. Letting out a slow breath, I gingerly own the door. Poking my head around, I answer.

"H... hel- Ah!" A glimmer of light shines in my eyes. A whiff of putrid, nauseating and utterly horrid air gusts pasts my nose. I look up at the man who's been knocking on the front door.

"What? Are we taking in strays now? Where'd you come from, pipsqueak?" It was a man with dark hair and unkempt facial hair. A man who has terrible breath. A man with a sword. A man... with breath that smells a lot like alcohol.

It's a drunk man. A drunk man who has a sword.

I feel a jolt course through my body. It's like I'm being electrocuted. I don't let him get another word out. Without hesitation, I slam the door in his face. I spin around.

"Tai!" I yell, racing for the kitchen. "Tai! He has a sword! He has a sword!" I dart right through the kitchen door, rushing up to Tai.

Tai holds his hands up "Woah! Woah! Eren, calm down. Who's at the door?" My heart pounds at my chest. My mouth is a river and I feel like I'm drowning. I have to swallow everything down before I speak again.

"I- Th-there's a man at the front door. He has a sword and-and-and..." I shake my head. "I-I-I think he's drunk!"

"Drunk?" He asks. His brow furling. "Are you sure about that?" I nod rapidly.

Okay! Okay! Plan. I need a plan. I hastily look around the kitchen. Where are the knives?! It might not be the best weapon but it's better than no weapon at all! If I play it smart and use the house to my advantage, we might be able to get out of this alive!

"Hello, Qrow." ...Huh? I look over my shoulder. The scruffy drunk swordsman was there. I let out a yelp and bound backwards. Tai quickly side steps behind me, preventing me from retreating any further.

"Eren! Eren! It's fine. It's okay. He's not an intruder." Tai puts an arm up to introduce the "not" intruder. "This is Qrow. Qrow, this is Eren."

Qrow takes a sip out of his flask. Filled with some awful concoction of lager, ale and vodka no doubt. The scruffy-looking man lets of a gasp of air after taking one massive chug from the drink. He closes the top, eying me closely.

"First impression." He looks up at Tai, smirking. "You need a better bellboy, Tai."

I... He...

"Uncle Qrow! You're back!" A wave of rose petals overcomes the room. All of a sudden, Qrow has a little red girl latching onto his back. "How'd your mission go? Was it exciting? It's been so long! It's so great to see you!" Wait... Uncle?

'Uncle' Qrow chuckles to himself, looking to Ruby. "Hello to you, too." He ruffles her hair affectionately.

This guy is their Uncle?! But-but-but he's...

He's a drunk! Tai puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Qrow's always drunk." My jaw drops to the floor. What?! And-and Tai's totally cool with that? If my Uncle turned up drunk, he would've been shipped halfway to Cairo before he could say 'Honey! I'm home!'

I look over at Qrow and Ruby again. If a normal drunk guy was grabbed like that, he would've fallen on his ass at best and kicked the crap out of the person who grabbed them at worst. Yet, there they were. Babbling on like it wasn't even a factor. I let out an exasperated laugh. I shake my head.

This family's crazy.

* * *

I sit at the top of the stairs, trying desperately to stop my legs from shaking.

After Yang popped in to say hello, the kitchen started to get a bit too crowded for my liking. I managed to slowly slink away from the conversation and just let them talk amongst themselves. It's a family conversation. It's not my place to get involved.

I waited patiently in the meantime. Looking for my opportunity to ask Taiyang. I figured it would've been far easier to ask him if he was alone. No other eyes to judge me or anything.

That was this morning. It's the dead of night now. I tried my best to pick my moment earlier but as soon as I gave it a shot, it was already time for dinner. I just took my dinner up to my room again and hit my head against the wall for another couple of hours.

Fortunately, a few hours later, Ruby and Yang had finally gone to bed.

Unfortunately, Uncle Qrow hasn't. He's still downstairs talking to Tai. I sigh lightly. At this rate, I'll be up all night. I can still hear them chattering away. Talking about something or other. I slowly stand up from the stairs, letting another breath out.

Well, by the time they finally finish talking, Tai will be too tired to talk to me about it. At least Qrow's an adult, maybe he won't judge if I asked him now. Yeah. Maybe... Well, it's now or never.

Gingerly, I tiptoe down the stairs. Their voices pick up. I halt...

Nothing. I feel like turning around and going back to bed but I hold my ground. I shake my head vigorously. Come on! Stop cowering and just do it, you idiot. I reach the bottom of the stairs, softly walking towards the kitchen door. I hear their voices pick up again.

"His swordsmanship still needs work but, his gunplay has improved over the last few months. I'm a bit worried about his home life though." Tai. I think he's flicking through some documentation of some kind. I think it might be from Signal. Qrow hums.

"If it starts becoming a problem, we'll start offering after school classes." He takes another gulp from his flask. "There's not a whole lot else we can do for the kid." Tai doesn't seem to like his answer but he doesn't rebuke him. Tai flips through the paper before stopping when he notices me.

"Eren," he greets. "Everything okay?" Qrow leans back in his chair, lazily glancing at me.

"U-uh... Um..." Without realizing it, I start playing with my hair. Swaying my fringe into position even though it was already there. "I..." I burn under their gaze. My body was shaking and my blood was pumping. "I... I was just wondering..." Come on! I scream at myself. You know what's at stake. Just ask him!

"H-how do I get into Beacon?"

The room goes dead. Tai blinks twice. His grip loosens on the page he was just reading. He's completely flabbergasted. I can only fidget at the silence. There. I asked.

Then, I hear giggling. Chuckling. Chortling. Full-blown laughter. Qrow's laughing his head off. He heard my question and now he's laughing at me? My face reddens. Did... did I say something funny?

"Hahahah! Tai, you've got yourself one hell of a comedian here! Hahahah!" I visibly shrink back into my hoodie. I just want to disappear at this point.

"Qrow." Tai cuts through Qrow's laughter. I'm not quite sure what it was but his tone feels as sharp as a sword. I've never actually heard Taiyang put up this kind of aggression before. Qrow stops laughing. Instead, he vouches to stare right at me.

"Wait, are you being serious?" His red eyes give me pause for a couple of seconds but nevertheless, I nod. Qrow's face drops. He takes out his flask once again, downing the rest in one go. He finishes with a gasp, I think I might've heard him growl a little under his breath. He looks back up to me. "Kid." He starts, his tone completely devoid of any mirth.

"Forget about Beacon."

"W-what?" F-forget about it? Are you kidding me?! Qrow looks me dead in the eyes.

"Are you deaf or something? I said to forget about it. A kid like you is only going to get himself killed." His words pierce right through whatever confidence I scrambled up. That was rejection in it's purest form. I clench my fists, gathering the pieces of my self-esteem and push forward.

"I... I won't. I want to know how to get into Beacon."

The chair screeches against the wooden floor as Qrow stands up. Against my better judgement, I don't step back from dusty older man. I have to stay strong. Everything was riding on this. Qrow inches closer towards my face. I steel my will. Whatever happens next, I won't relent. No matter what. Qrow looks at the patch in my hoodie.

"You've encountered them, haven't you." My hand wavers over my scar. "You remember it, right?" Casting my eyes down, I nod. "That's what true fear feels like. That's what we Huntsman have to fight through every single day." His voice turns strict. Less like a reprimand and more like a lecture. Either way, his words still hold a weight over my head. "Let's get something straight, kid. Whatever reasons you've got for trying to become a Huntsman, it doesn't matter. "

"Qrow." Tai warns him again.

"Let me finish, Tai!" He snaps. Tai and Qrow glare at each other. The air was thick and I'm finding it hard to breath. Eventually, Tai just folds his arms and resigns himself to a spectator. Qrow turns back to me, glaring deep into my eyes. "It doesn't matter because the Grimm have a grip on you that no-one else has."

"Wha... What are you talking about?" I have to grit my teeth. Qrow doesn't relent.

"How have you been sleeping?" I flinch. "What? You didn't think anybody would notice? I've been through crap like that before, kid. I know what kind of mark it leaves on you." I look down. At the floor. Just, anywhere else besides his eyes. It's like he was trying to peer into my very soul. I can't take it. "I don't know what you've been telling yourself but that kind of scarring doesn't just go away. It stays with you for the rest of your life. It's not something you can just wish away with the notion of 'Getting stronger.'"

I shake my head. "That's... that's not why I want to get into Beacon."

"I'm not saying it is." Qrow says forcefully. He looks up wistfully to the ceiling. "Like I said, it doesn't matter why you want to become a huntsman. Because the fact is, as soon as you stand face to face with another Beowolf again, that scarring is going to come back. You won't be able to handle it. I've seen men bigger, stronger and braver than you fail to overcome that scar. Do you understand what I'm saying?" He leans in closer, his voice deadly.

"If you go out there, you're going to die. No ifs. No buts. Am I understood?"

...Yes. I nod. I hear every single word he's saying.

Nevertheless, there are things far worse than death.

"How do I get into Beacon?" I repeat my question. Qrow wrinkles his face. He stares right into my eyes. I don't fall back. I stand undeterred by everything he just said. I know what I want, and I know that I'll never be happy with myself if I don't even try to get it back. I don't care what gets in my way. Be it Grimm, people or even myself.

I'll get back home. No matter what.

Qrow just laughs bitterly, shaking his head at me. "Alright. If you're so hell bent on becoming a huntsman..." He flashes a cocky smile. "Then maybe, you wouldn't mind putting something on the line for it. A little wager." I raise an eyebrow at that. Wh-what did he have in mind?

Qrow lifts up a finger. "Here's what we'll do. I'll give you a week. At the end of that week, I'm going to give you a little test. See if you're really as up for it as you say you are. You impress me, I'll tell you how to get into Beacon. Hell, I'll even tutor you! But if you don't impress me..." He pokes my hoodie. "Well, that hoodie might get me a pint or two if I... sold it."

I let out a gasp, clutching onto my hoodie for dear life. No! No, I can't lose this! I need it!

"Okay, that's enough!" Tai strong-arms his way in between us, glaring at Qrow. "Qrow, he's just a teenager." I know his words are supposed to be in my defensive, but those words sting slightly. Did... did he think I wasn't up to it? Qrow just scoffs, looking back to me. I keep my head down as he scans for a reaction.

Then, he smirks at me. "I knew it." He stuffs his hands back into his pockets. "I think I'm gonna head to bed, Tai. We'll finish these papers tomorrow." He turns his back to me, walking for the door. He gives us both a lax wave. "Night."

I shake my head. Damn it! I can't lose this! Everything is riding on this, I need to get into Beacon. I need to! What do I do? I can't miss out on Beacon, but I can't lose my hoodie either! What do I do?! What do I do?!

Isn't it obvious? I'm such an idiot.

"Okay!" I scream. I probably woke up the rest of the household with that but I'm not really in the right mind to care right now. I need to go for this and I need to do it now! "Okay..." There's no turning back from this one. I gather my breath, staring fiercely at Qrow's back.

 **"You're on!"**

Qrow doesn't face me. I can't see his reaction. Whether he was angry, shocked or stunned silent, I don't know. He just stays quiet. All three of us just stand wordlessly. I'm pining for some kind of response at this point. Some sort of acknowledgement. I'm going to go for this. I won't let him back out now.

Suddenly, Qrow just chuckles to himself. Is... is he laughing at me? Is he still not taking me seriously? "Quick question, kid. Do you know what Aura is?"

Aura? Tai never mentioned it in our talks. I shake my head, answering with a meek "N-no." Qrow turns his head, looking at me from over his shoulder.

"Any Huntsman worth his salt knows how to use his aura. Without that or a weapon, you're not going to impress anyone come next week." He turns his head back around. "Just for the record, I'm not going to pull my punches. See ya next week."

Just like that, Qrow leaves both Tai and I alone. I wait a couple of seconds, making sure he's absolutely not coming back. One. Two... I think he's gone. Okay. I let out a large gasp of held air. I slump against the wall, my hand clutching around my heart. I had to do it. I had to. Christ, I feel like I'm on fire. I knew the talk was going to be stressful but that... that was horrendous. How can people deal with that kind of pressure? It's only going to be worse come a week from now. Great...

Tai scratches at the back of his neck. "Damn it, Qrow..." Tai offers me a hand up. "Here, Eren. I'm really sorry about Qrow. He can be a bit... much at times." I don't take his hand, pushing myself up from the wall.

"N-no, no. I'm, um, I'm very sorry for interrupting." I bow my head. I look over to the kitchen table. Scattered around were dozens of what looks like school papers of some kind. I'm not entirely sure what they are, exactly. Tai mentioned that he was a teacher for Signal, the same place Ruby and Yang go to so, it's not really that much of a surprise. Though, the dried in wine stains on some of the papers does give me pause. Looks like they spilt a glass on it. I never really took Tai for the careless type. Weird.

"You know, you don't have to go through with this bet. I can talk to Qrow in the morning and get him to call it off." He folds his arms. "If you're really serious about Beacon, I can tell you about how students get in. You really don't need to go through with this."

...Technically speaking, he's right. I don't have to go through with this bet. Qrow's not the only person in the world who knows how to get in. Tai could tell me just as easily, maybe even tutor me himself even if I needed it.

But... I shake my head again. "Thank you, but no. I... I want to go through with the bet."

"What?!" He exclaims. "Why?" I don't mince my words.

"Because I need to."

Like I said, I heard Qrow loud and clear. He thinks my fear will be a hindrance. He thinks that I can't do it. That I'll just freeze up and get myself killed. I'm not stupid. I know that Huntsman are considered the best of the best and... Frankly? I don't even know where I am on the board. Qrow might be an a... He might be a bit stuck-up, but he is a Huntsman. He knows what he's talking about, and if he doesn't think I can do it then that's says something really bad about my chances at survival.

I have to prove to him that I can get into Beacon. That's the only way I can truly have confidence that I can do it. Losing this bet just means that I never had a chance to begin with. That he was right all along and I was stepping out too far from my element.

That's why I have to take this bet. To prove I can do it.

First thing on the agenda. "Uh... Tai? Sir?" He looks at me with a hum.

"Can you tell me about Aura?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hazzah! We have plot!

Also, Qrow is surprisingly fun to write. I'm hoping I didn't write him like a complete and total ass. Qrow might be a bit of an arse but the dude's still fully capable of empathy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Aura**

Sweat pools from every pore in my body. My chests heaves in and out as I lay on the snow. Despite the air emitting from my mouth turning foggy as it leaves, my body is numb to the freezing cold of the snowy forest. I feel like a man drowning in the middle of a desert.

I lift up one of my arms, peering closely at the space around it. Where the glow should be, yet it isn't. I growl to myself.

Nothing. It's been hours and still nothing.

After learning as much as I could from Tai last night, I quickly went to work on how to activate my Aura. From the best I could understand, a person's Aura works somewhat like having an energy shield around them. It protects the user from certain attacks, heals minor wounds that managed to break through, and other stuff that I still don't quite understand. In layman's terms, it stops what should be normal human beings from being turned into meaty pieces by the savage Grimm. As for where it comes from...

Apparently, and I'm quoting word for word here, 'Aura is the manifestation of a person's soul.' That's where it comes from. Your soul. Now, as far as I know, there are two ways you can go about it. The first way is through a combination of training and willpower. The other way is far more common but that's not an option.

I'll need to unlock my Aura by myself.

Still... I'm a little skeptical that I even have it. The way Taiyang described it, anything that has a soul has its own Aura generating from it. It's all very spiritual sounding but, home's version of Aura is a lot less... literal. I might be one of the few exceptions to that rule.

Well, I really, really hope not. I need to have Aura to get into Beacon. Hell, not just to get into Beacon. I need it to survive. I look up at the dark sky, stars dotting the cosmos. When I started, it was a clear blue. My first day is drawing to a close. I don't have any more time to waste.

Snarling, I push myself over onto my knees. One by one, I pull my legs up to stand. Up. Up. There. I stumble slightly but I'm back up onto my feet. Now...

Which field am I in again? There is the part of the forest west from the house and the other east. I rest my fingers on my chin. Where did I decide to go to again?

Ah! That's right. I'm in the west field

God. I've been out here so long I'm starting to forget things. Well, if willpower is what it takes to open my aura, then I'll give it as much as it needs. I put my hands up, clenching them both tightly. My stance is sparse and unrefined but I'm not in the position to complain about refinement. I suck in my breath and...

A sudden sound. My head snaps around. Wind? No. Grimm?! No, no. Calm. Remain calm. I'm not that deep into the forest. Besides, they're attracted to negative emotions. It's not them. Calm down. You won't let it best you this time.

"W-who's there? Sh... show yourself!" My voice wavers but I stand strong, scanning amongst the trees for some kind of movement. I hear the snow crunch underneath someone's boot. Slow, like they were a predator on the prowl. I keep my eyes sharp. I won't let them get the drop on me. I know my way back to the house. I'll use it to my advantage if I have to.

Then, a petite figure pops out from one of the trees. I see black. Black and... red? That's...

"Uh... hi." Ruby. She waves to me.

"H... hello." I raise a hand in reply. What in the world is she doing here? Ruby plays with her fingers.

"Uh, dinner's on back at the house. It's King's Mushroom Soup." Oh. Yeah. I suppose it's about that time, huh. Ruby scratches the back of her neck. "Uh, you've been out a long time so Dad asked us to search for you and we don't see you that often and, uh... I'm babbling again, aren't I? Sorry."

I shake my head. "Ah! No. It's okay. I'm... I'm not really hungry at the moment. T-thank you." Ruby raises her eyebrows.

"Are you... sure about that?" I nod back, ignoring the feral growl coming from my stomach.

"Y-yeah. I'll be in later." Ruby just looks at me. I can't quite discern what exactly she is thinking. I was never really any good at that in the first place. Eventually, Ruby just hums.

"Hm. Alright." I'm... not sure if she bought it or not. She said that in such a matter of fact way. Then, silence. I'm trying to think of something else to ask but nothing really comes to mind.

"You're trying to activate your Aura, aren't you?" My head snaps up. Huh? "I heard you and Dad talking last night. That's what you've been training for, isn't it?"

"Ah... y-you heard all that, huh?" I rub my arm. "U-um... sorry for waking you guys." A sudden smile spreads across Ruby's face. Her silver eyes lighten as she quickly closes the gap between us.

"Well, that's no problem! I can unlock your Aura for you! I've had plenty of training at Signal. I know how to do it. I know the words." A pause. "...Mostly." She... she wants to unlock my Aura for me? That's...

I shake my head. "Thank you but, I'm fine." Ruby's eyes widen.

"Huh? Why? It'll be so much easier this way. Unlocking your Aura by yourself takes so long. You'll never get it open before your test with Uncle Qrow." I sigh slightly to myself, ruffling my hair. It shouldn't be that shocking, hearing the odds. According to Tai, it would take a person years in order to unlock their aura by themselves. Months if they got lucky. I know this. It's... having someone tell you that doing so in a few days does put a little weight on your shoulders.

"Yeah. I know." Once again, Ruby is taken aback by what I'm saying.

"If you know then why won't you let me help you?" I stay silent. "Eren?"

"Don't worry about it." I shoot her a small smile. "I'll be fine. Y-you should head back. I-it's pretty cold out here." Not that I would know. I feel like I'm smoldering. My arms and legs are aching something terrible. It's like if I put any more pressure on them they'll just snap. Still, it's not all bad. The more pressure I'm under, the better my chances of unlocking my Aura. I give Ruby a small wave and turn around, once again firmly clenching my fists.

"I don't get you." I release my grip, turning back around again. Her voice sounds... somber. It's like all the energy had been completely drained from her. "I don't get you at all." I blink twice. "D... did we do something wrong? Did we hurt you? D-do I annoy you?" What? Where did she get that idea?

"N-no!" I hastily wave my hands. "No! No! That's not it at all!" Ruby looks at me.

"Then why do you keep avoiding us?"

I hold my tongue. I take a long look at her. Well, not saying anything is going to make the situation worse and I really don't want any of them to think badly of me... "I... is it okay if I be totally honest right now?" Ruby nods. I go to speak but I feel my throat clog up. All of a sudden, it feels like my collar is tightening around my neck like a noose. I zip down the front of my hoodie, sucking in my breath. Okay. Here we go.

"At first, I distrusted you guys." I answer honestly. "I thought that you guys were complete psychos and you just wanted to hurt me. You had weapons and... it was scary. Really scary."

"We didn't mean-" I throw up a hand to stop her, giving her a small smile as I do so.

"It's fine. Seriously. I mean, you having that giant scythe is terrifying but... I understand why you have them. I get it. That's totally fine and... I understand why you saved me that night." Ruby raises an eyebrow.

"You... you didn't before?" I shake my head.

"No. I really had no idea, but that's okay. I understand now." I nod to her, still showing a polite smile. "You guys only did it because you had to."

"...Huh?"

"Yeah. That's why you guys saved me. It was your job. That's what you get paid to do. You're like the Police. You don't do your job, you don't get paid. That's how it works."

"What?!" Ruby's voice booms throughout the forest. I almost bound back at how sharp her tone turns. Does she think that I'm insulting her? Oh crap! I-I better clear this up. Fast! Hurriedly, I raise my arms up in front of me.

"No, no! It's fine! I totally understand. You didn't have a choice but to save me. It's part of your job and that's totally fine. What you're all doing is just part of being a Huntsman." I lower my arms. "You don't have to keep helping me. Your job's done." I scratch my head. "I'm... probably just annoying you guys at this point."

"Wrong!" Ruby's face scrunches up."Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! That's just... so wrong on so many levels!" I take a step back every time she utters the word 'Wrong.'

"W-wait, what do you mean?" Ruby shakes her head rapidly.

"That's not why I saved you! That's not even close! You couldn't be any wronger than how wrong you are!" But... but I can't be wrong! That's the only way this entire situation could make sense! My voice becomes louder as I ask her for the answer.

"Then why?! Why are you going to all these lengths for a guy you don't even know?!" She had to save me! It's part of the job! That's the only reason anybody would risk their life for a stranger! How could I be wrong?!

"Because it was the right thing to do! I saved you because I wanted to save you!"

Silence. I wait, expecting some sort of addition. Something more complex: more obscene, more selfish and self-serving in nature. Nothing.

"That's... that's it?" I prod for something more but Ruby just nods at me, her face loses some of its intensity.

"That's it. That's the only reason." My throat hitches. If anybody besides my family told me something as wish-washy and morally clear as something like that, I'd label them a liar. There's no way I would believe something as transparent as that. Yet, and I'm really not sure why, something about the way she said just sounded so...

Earnest. So honest. Whether it was right or wrong, she believes it. There's nothing else there. She... she really isn't expecting anything?

"But... But that doesn't make any sense." I say aloud, my voice stutters. "I-I'm a stranger. You brought me into your house. You fed me! You cleaned my clothes! You-you-you-you... Why?!" Ruby just shrugs at me.

"I just told you. I... We did that because it was the right thing to do. We don't want anything from you, Eren. We just wanted to help. That's all there is to it." That's... How can she... What?

"I-I-I don't..." I clench my head. It can't be true. It has to be a lie. It's too good to be truth, so why can't I deny it?! Ruby draws in closer again, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Eren, I don't know what happened to you for you to think this way or anything but... Please. I just want to help." Her voice is soft. Despite how high-pitched, energetic, and cheerful it normally sounds, there's a certain calmness to it. Something that belonged to someone ten years my senior, not the hyperactive girl a year younger than me. There's only one way I could be certain that she is telling the truth.

"...Say it again."

"Hm?" I turn my body around, lowering my head slightly.

"Look me in the eyes, say that again and make me believe it." Ruby doesn't say anything. Instead, she removes her hand from my shoulder and looks me deep in the eyes. She speaks clearly.

"I don't want anything. I just want to help you." ...Nothing. Once again, nothing. There's no mirth: no sarcasm, no joking, no deception, no delusion, no hints or clues to some 'real' goal she's been working towards this entire time. She truly believes that she's telling the truth. I rub my eyes.

"You... You're either a really damn good liar or I'm going crazy but..." Ruby casts her gaze downward.

"I don't know what else to tell you. It's the truth." I let out a dry laugh.

"Hahah. I guess it is..." Crazy. This whole world is absolutely crazy. I go turn my gaze away from her but Ruby steps in front of me once again. Her voice retaining its serious demeanor.

"Eren, you're not going to unlock your Aura by yourself in less than a week. Nobody can do that. Please, let me help you." ...I let out a small sigh. Six days won't be enough. If I really believe that she's telling the truth, that she is willing to help me... I'm not in the position to deny her any longer. I have no more excuses. I'll only be screwing myself over in the long run.

"...F-fine." I struggle to say the words but nevertheless, it's done. Ruby gives me a bright endearing smile. Despite being close already, Ruby steps a couple of paces closer once again. It's enough to make me shake.

"Okay! Great! Let's do it." Being but a breath away from me, she reaches out to cup my cheek with her small hand. However, as soon as she almost touches it, I reel my head back like ice meeting fire.

"D... do you really have to be this close?" Ruby just laughs awkwardly, one of her arms reaches around to scratch at the back of her neck.

"Yeah, I know. It's pretty weird but it's part of the ritual so, ya know." She rolls her eyes. Well, I suppose when it comes to something as intimate as the soul, you need a method equally as intimate. I sigh but I let Ruby continue regardless. Her hand rests on my cheek. I can't tell if it's me or her hand but my face is feeling really warm right now. Her other hand comes to land on my chest, right where my heart is.

"Okay. Now, you have to close your eyes and concentrate."

"A-a-alright." I keep my eyes firmly shut. She didn't specify what exactly to concentrate on. I'm assuming that it doesn't really matter as long as my mind doesn't drift throughout the ritual. I can hear Ruby mutter something to herself.

"So... how did this go again? For it is not- No, that's not right. Um... Oh, yeah!" She clears her voice. "For it in passing we achieve immortality-"I shut the world out. My mind goes blank.

A bright light. An array of colours flood my young eyes in an almost static-like depiction.

A green leaf, on it an ensemble of tiny eggs lay peacefully.

Bit by bit, the creature inside nibbles at the shell. The hole widens. Emerging from it is the larvae.

The larvae eats away at the eggshell. Then, it eats the leaf. It eats. It grows. Then, it couldn't grow anymore. A thick cocoon morphs around the larvae and it becomes a pupa.

From the outside, the pupa looks stagnant. Unmoving. Still. Nothing. On the inside however, the pupa morphs. It changes. Transforms. Cutting away old pieces and makes way for new ones.

Then, the pupa breaks. A blinding light pieces my eyes. A sharp deafening sound. I can't see. I can't hear.

What came out of the shell?

My mind lurches back into my body. Before I have a chance to comprehend what I was just focusing on, my eyes snap open. As though she's a lifeless corpse, Ruby's body limply collapses. Before it makes contact with the hard ground, my arms frantically reach out and catch her. Despite having arms as thin as twigs, I manage to keep her upright. If just barely.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Ruby's eyes slowly slide eye. She takes one look at me and then gives me a big toothy grin.

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm fine! Totally fine. Just a little tired, that's all." I huff slightly. Yeah, right. I've been out here for hours training my ass off but even I'm not tired enough to collapse like that. Before I protest however, Ruby giggles mirthfully to herself. "Hah. Blue." Blue? I take another look at my arms. Sure enough, a glow the shade of medium blue is radiating brightly from my body.

Ruby giggles again. "Are you sure your name isn't Cobalt or something?" When I'm sure that Ruby isn't going to collapse again as soon as I released her, I take my arms away and scratch the back of my head. A smile smile finds its way onto my face.

"Well, heh, my family always said I look good in blue." Though, I don't think that's why my Aura is blue or anything. It could just be a coincidence. Probably. Ruby rests her arm behind her back.

"So, uh, how do you feel?" As the glow slowly fades away, I'm enveloped by a feeling I had not felt in over a week. A feeling of security, of warmth. I feel...

"Safe." I clench my fist. This is just the first step. There's still a long way to go. Ruby just smiles.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm freezing! We should head back grab some dinner." Well, I have my Aura now. There's no real reason for me to stay out here. I nod to her. Ruby beams as she turns around and starts making her way to the house. I trail a little behind her.

"Oh! I should tell Sis I found you. When we split earlier, she went in the other direction." Ruby pops into her pocket, bringing out... some sort of iPhone? I guess? I never caught the name of that thing. Nevertheless, Ruby types something into it. I lower my head slightly. Something can just occurred to me.

"Hey, Ruby." She turns her head to me.

"Yah-huh?"

"Thank you." She just smiles.

"Hey, don't mention it. It's all good." I stop walking. Ruby stops with me too as I just shake my head.

"No, not just for this. For saving me. I... never really had the chance to say that." I rub my arm. "Is... is there anyway I can repay you?" Ruby looks at me blankly for a couple of seconds before waving me off with a smile.

"Pssh. Nah! You're fine. Don't worry about it." I shake my head again.

"I-I-I have to do something. To make up for doubting you. There has to be something I can do." Ruby goes to open her mouth again but she halts. She rests a finger on her cheek, her mind whirling with ideas. I'm starting to think this was a bad idea.

"Well, actually. If you're so torn up about it..." Oh no, what have I done?! "Let me help you build your weapon." That's... that's it? I think I need to learn to tamper my expectations with this girl. I tilt my head.

"That... sounds like you're doing me a favor again." She raises a finger.

"Ah-bup-bup! You said you wanted to repay me! No backing out now!"

Guess I don't have much of a choice then. I shrug my shoulders. "Alright, I accept." As soon as I say so, Ruby's grin spreads to as far as her eyes and with the energy of a child coked up on a lifetime supply of sugar and she jumps into the air with a gigantic cheer.

"Yes! I've got a whole list of ideas right here" She takes out notepad from one of her pockets. She flips through the pages with a inhuman amount of speed, showing me one of them. I take a look.

Well.

I think Ruby just exceeded my expectations for something. On the page is a crude drawing of, what I think is, a weapon. Notes mark the side of the page, each one giving incredible detail into how this monster works. The artwork is almost just as bad as mine but it's like she has the final design fully rendered inside of her head. Some people would call this the work of a five year old. I say it's the work of a mad genius.

"Look! This one's a chainsaw battle-axe with detachable blades! It works off of-" Her mouth is moving but it's like she's talking another language. She mentions something about chamber cords or cylinder cartridges or something like that. You know, I'm starting to think she's done me an even greater service by offering to help me. I can't make heads or tails of any of this. I raise a hand to stop her.

"Actually, I was looking for something a bit... simple." As in, 'Something even an idiot can use,' simple. Ruby's cheeks tinge a bright red as she coughs awkwardly to herself.

"Ahem. Yeah, sorry. I tend to go a little overboard with my stuff." I'll say. At least this world has some standards of sanity. Just then, Ruby sticks out a hand. A handshake. "Uh, we never got a chance to introduce ourselves properly. I heard that was sort of the way to go with these things." You too? "So..." She clears her throat with a forceful cough.

"Uh, hi! My name's Ruby!" Silence. I'm waiting for her to say something again but nothing comes out. Wait, is she done? "It's your turn." My body jolts.

"O-oh! Right! Um..." I grasp her hand gently, clearing my voice the same way she did. "H-hello. Uh... My name's Eren. I-i-it's nice to meet you!"

For once, I actually mean that.

* * *

 **A/N:** Started this chapter thinking it was going to be the shortest one so far. I was aiming to have this out for Wednesday but, the talk portion of the chapter expanded it by quite a bit.

Also want to give a big thank you to the Guest who posted a review on Chapter 2. Thank you very much for your thoughts on my story, I'm very sorry I missed it out in the last chapter but I'm definitely taking your advice on-board and try not to make Eren completely suck ass. Here's hoping my story lives up to your expectations.

Next Chapter might take a little longer to post due to it being a bit longer than the others.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - The Test**

I fasten my hoodie with a nimble zip, fluffing up the hood as I do. There. All set. I let out a puff of air, staring at the sombre orange glow of the winter dawn. Kneading with the palm of my hands, I rub the sleep out of my eyes.

It's been six days since my talk with Ruby in the forest. Since then, Ruby eagerly threw herself into the construction of my weapon. I tried my best to pull my weight with the process but frankly, I wasn't much help other than basically being a nurse for a weapons surgeon. All I did was offer stilted small talk, hand her tools for components I've never heard of, and answer yes or no to certain questions about how the weapon should be designed. Long answer short: nothing crazy.

While Ruby wasn't exactly enthralled with what I wanted, she wanted to add three additional longsword blades to the front and a grenade launcher, she accepted what I wanted and dived head-first into her work with incredible enthusiasm. Seriously, the amount of stuff I could do in a day with that kind of energy. It's astonishing.

Still, while the design was simpler than most Huntsman weapons, it would still take us working nonstop throughout the week in order to finally finish it. I sigh to myself. Poor Ruby. I sure put her through hell for that gun. I don't care what she said, I definitely need to find some way of repaying her for everything she's done for me.

I start to stretch out my fingers: arms, neck, legs and back. With an oddly satisfying click from my back, my body is ready to go.

Okay. Let's go.

I tiptoe down the stairs, trying my best not to wake anyone. Ruby should still be in bed. Thanks to the work we put in last night, the gun's pretty much finished. I just need to grab it from the shed outside before I meet with Qrow. I just need to quickly nab the keys before we head out. Ruby said that she would leave the keys in the kitchen so...

Actually, scratch that last one. I think she beat me to it.

Sighing lightly to myself, I walk towards the living room table. Lying side by side each another are three items. The first is a thin pair of fingerless black gloves that look far too big for Ruby's hands. Maybe even bigger than mine, though that's not much of a stretch. Ruby must've left them because of the weather. I can't exactly aim properly when my hands feel like they're about to shatter into icy pieces. The next item is a note from Ruby, handwritten in pencil with as much finesse if it were written with a trident.

'GOOD LUCK EREN!

-Rubes'

I stifle a laugh. Even when she's writing something, she still has to be loud. Finally, I move onto the very last item. A small bag of ammo and a weapon. My weapon.

Warbreaker.

Like I said, Warbreaker isn't particularly complex. For this world's standards anyway. It's an assault rifle with selective fire capabilities: a two times magnifying tactical scope on the top, thirty bullet magazine on the bottom, and a bunch of technical jargon from Ruby that I can in no way translate. Basically, if I see anything with this gun, I can shoot it. Close, middle, or long range. It might not be as powerful as a sniper or a shotgun but, it'll do the job.

Oh. It also has a retractable bayonet at the front in-case I get stuck in a bind. So, yeah. That's pretty neat.

Still, what the really interesting thing is that the entire thing's been painted in a palette of blue and black. That wasn't how it looked last night when we left it last night. At best, it was a dull shade of grey. As I look closer, I think I can see some sort of emblem on the butt of the stock. Wait, isn't that...

A skull? Yeah. That's a blue skull. Against the coal black paintwork, it just pops out. Why is that here? No, wait a second. Isn't that kind of like my... Yeah.

Yeah! That's from my shirt! Black with a blue skull on the front of it? She totally based the colour-scheme from my shirt. Why did she do that? Did she think the skull was my emblem or something? Like that rose symbol on her clothes? Is that a thing here? What is this all about? I shake my head. Must be a cultural thing. I don't know.

I let out a small chuckle and massage my forehead. She really didn't need to do this. The gun would've been just fine without the paint. I could've lived with it being a little dull-looking. Nevertheless, a small smile crawls onto my face. She really doesn't like to half-ass things, huh. Still, it does look pretty damn cool. I go to pick up the gun bit I stop. I take another look at the note Ruby left for me, an idea forming in my head.

I quickly shuffle through one of the nearby drawers, grabbing myself a pencil. Leaning down, I write down on the note she left me.

'Thank you.'

After throwing yet another snowball squarely at the shed window, I continue to pace around the front door. The sheer cold wind blows through my chilly bones. Once again, I take out my phone to check the time. I managed to change the time zone to Remnants as soon as I was able. No sense in keeping the same time for a place I'm far away from.

The clock appears on the screen. Five past eight. I let out another cool foggy breath. I've been out here in the icy cold for nearly two hours now. Qrow told me that we were supposed to meet up at the front door for dawn. He was quite serious about it too. Serious enough to make me dread the consequences should I have been late. Now, the only person who was late here was him! Where is he?!

I keep up my pacing, huffing to myself a little. Maybe I'm a day early? Or hell, maybe dawn means something else in this world?

I shake my head to myself. Seems a little weird. We share the same language, the same biology, same type of food but we have our dawns at different times? No way.

Well, maybe I missed him? I stop, humming to myself... Nah. That can't be it. I got up at early as I possibly could. I've been keeping a keen eye on the time. There's no way I could've been late. Or maybe...

I sigh. Or maybe I'm an idiot who wasted his morning and his time for nothing. I should've stayed indoors but no. No, no, no, no. 'The consequences if he found me not at the front would've been too dire. I should stay out here because it's the safest option.' Ugh. I really hate me sometimes.

Clasping the phone in my hands, I flip it back open and click onto the photo. The quality was choppy and it's not really the best picture ever taken of us but I don't care. It's still us in that photo and that's all that matters to me.

"Damn. Here I thought you couldn't get any shorter."

"Gah!" I jump out of my skin, snapping the phone shut and shoving it back into my pocket. I turn around and standing at the front door with his unkempt facial hair and amused expression was Qrow.

"Wow. Yang was right. You are jumpy." I can feel an eyebrow twitch slightly. Two hours and that's the first thing he says to me?

"Wh-where have you been? Dawn was two hours ago." Qrow shrugs.

"I've been in bed." My jaw drops. Qrow just smirks. "Hey. I told you to be here for dawn. I didn't say that I was going to be here." He points to his ear. "Gotta learn to listen, kiddo." You-you jerk! I've been standing out here for the last two hours! I am freezing my ass off! I could've been inside or better yet, in bed! I just wasted two hours of my life, you ass!

Is what I want to say. The best I can manage is a murmur that even an elephant wouldn't hear. Qrow looks at Warbreaker, "You know how to use that?"

I nod. "Y-yes." Well, sort of. I've never used anything other than a sporter gun before and even then, I only used it the one time when I went clay pigeon shooting. That was a few years ago, though and... I wasn't really all that great with it.

Qrow brandishes a cocky grin. "So, you remember the terms, right? You impress me with this little test I'm giving you, and I'll tell you how to get into Beacon and I'll even mentor you. If you fail, then that hoodie of yours belongs to me. Crystal?" Swallowing, I give him a firm nod. Smirking, Qrow turns around and begins to walk towards path. "Well, let's get moving then."

Flipping my hood over my head, I quietly follow him. The snow crunches loudly beneath our feet as we continue in silence. Every now and again, Qrow peers over his shoulder. Probably just to check that I'm still following him. After he checks, he takes his flask out of his pocket and takes another swig. My face scrunches up. Christ, even at eight in the morning, he's still drinking. I don't know how people can stand the stuff. The smell of alcohol alone is just so repulsive. Qrow lets out a satisfied gasp.

"Where'd you get the gloves?" Hm? I stick out my gloved left hand.

"Ruby gave them to me." I reply. Qrow just snorts and chuckles darkly to himself. He says something mirthfully under his breath. Something about a 'scamp?' They're just gloves. I don't get the joke.

"So," Qrow begins again. "Here's how this is gonna work. There's been word from the locals about a small pack of Grimm gathering somewhere in this forest. Nothing too seriously or anything, but the people are starting to get a little concerned." He takes another gulp. "So, as a favour to Patch, we're going to nip this problem in the bud."

An extermination job? I was expecting more along the lines or a literal test. Target practice, sparring, typical stuff. This sounds like he's more working with me than he is actually trying to win a bet.

"Um, that... doesn't really sound like a test." Qrow smirks.

"Hey, I never said it was going to be a formal test. Remember, your goal is to impress me, kid." He shrugs. "Besides, this'll give you some good experience if you're still looking to become a Huntsman." He goes to take another swig from the flask. "If you survive." I shudder slightly. Qrow instantly notices and his smirk disappears. "This is what we do, kid. If you're looking for a safe, cushy life, you ain't gonna find it here."

I know that. Wasn't looking for one. Not here, anyway.

"I'll tell you what," he continues, swirling the alcohol in his flask. "The house isn't too far away. If you head back now, I'll forget about the bet. You get to keep your little hoodie."

"No." I don't give him another breath to speak. If I didn't want this, I wouldn't have shown up in the first place. I'm not going back on it now. Qrow stares at me with his dim red eyes. I stare back with my bright blue eyes. I'm not backing down on this.

Shaking his head and scoffing, Qrow just turns away. "You ever been in a fight?"

"...No." I lower my head.

"You know that kids your age have been training for years in order to get into Beacon, right?" My head lowers further.

"Yes..." Qrow continues.

"And you know what that pack's made of, right?" I was hoping that it wasn't so but...

"Beowolves..." A small hum from him gives me all the confirmation I need.

"And you're still gonna keep going with this?"

"Yes." No hesitation. No restraint. Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes. I'm taking this bet and I will find a way into Beacon. I won't stop until I find a way home.

"Well then," Qrow stops. "Time to put up or shut up, kid." I take a look around us. Nothing but snowy trees and broken branches as far as the eye can see. It didn't look any different from the other parts of the forest I've seen. You could tell me that we were only on the cusp and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"So, um..." I start. "How do we track them?"

"Who said anything about a 'We?'" Huh? I turn back to him and... there's no one there. He's gone! I take a closer look at his footprints. Nothing! It follows where he was walking and then... ju-just nothing!

"Qrow? Sir?!" I cry out. No response. He's disappeared. He left me. I'm...

I'm all alone.

Warbreaker bumps against my back as I trudge through the frozen forest. I blow hot air into my gloves and rub them together. I've been circling the surrounding area for over half an hour now. Looking for some kind of hint or trace for where the pack may be. So far: nothing. I don't exactly know how exactly Huntsman track Grimm. If there's any special techniques or skills or anything. I feel like I've been wandering aimlessly, wasting valuable time.

I keep walking. It's all I can do at this point. My eyes dart from tree to tree, searching for some kind of clue: some kind of indication as to where the Beowolf pack is. So far, no luck. I grumble to myself. Is Qrow playing me right now? Like he did earlier? Did he leave me out here as some sort of trick? I groan out loud. He better not have. I'm going to feel like a right twat if he did.

A sudden sound. My body snaps to react, hand reaching for my rifle. I look to see- Oh.

I let out a soft sigh. Standing soundly on the edge of one of the numerous tree branches was a bird. A crow. A single crow that was watching me intently. My arm lowers. For a second I thought... No. I shake my head. That's just silly.

"Sorry little guy. You're not the Qrow I'm looking for." The crow caws as it launches itself from the branch. My eyes trail it as it flies right over my head, scattering black feathers across the snow. Didn't want to hang around for long I guess. Can't really blame it.

I heave the gun back into place and I continue to walk down my snow-filled path.

Eventually, I stop. My eyes squint as I make out something in the middle of the the track. I lean in closer. It looks to be... a marking. A footprint. A clue! I almost let myself rush towards the marking, halting my body as I cautiously take out Warbreaker. Just because they've been here, it doesn't mean they aren't close by. Careful, now.

One after another, I timidly pace myself towards the footprint. I scan the trees, making absolutely sure that I'm alone here. Satisfied, I kneel down beside the clue, my eyes narrowing as I look over it.

I rest my head on my fist, murmuring to myself. Well, it is a Beowolf claw. No other creature comes to mind when I look at the paw indented into the snow but, the problem is that there's only one of them here. Qrow mentioned that it was a small pack. Where are the other markings?

I groan out loud. If this one broke off from the pack then that's going to make my job even harder. The faster I find this pack, the better my chances are of impressing Qrow. My eyes follow the tracks left by the Grimm, gazing as they disappear into the dark forest. With gun still in-hand, I stand up, take a deep breath and I follow the tracks deeper into the forest.

As I travel further in, I notice that the trees are starting to close in on each other. Their branches clash together, blotting out the sun. My breath becomes uneven as my ears stand alert to the foreign sounds throughout the forest. A snap of a twig, the crunch of my shoes, the wind blowing against the trees. I keep moving forward, tracing the Beowolf's steps keenly. Then, I hear another sound. I stop, gulping audibly. Quietly, I manoeuvre myself behind one of the trees. I brace Warbreaker against my shoulder, peering through the scope. Then, with bated breath, I wait.

There it is. Skulking out from the trees was the dreaded monster.

The Beowolf.

My arms start to tremble. My lungs feel like they're drying up and refusing to function. I have to bite on my lip to stop myself from screaming out. Calm, I tell myself. Calm. Calm. My grip tightens on Warbreaker.

That's right. I have a weapon now. Things will be different this time. I will not falter. Not here. Not now.

I let out a held breath. I stay hidden behind the tree, watching intently as the Beowolf merely lingers. I don't think it noticed me. Thank god. I have to keep my cool or it'll discover me.

I keep watching. The Beowolf continues to drift slightly from place to place. It doesn't seem to be looking for anything. Why is it staying here? Why isn't it going after the rest of its pack? My eyes narrow. Something's not right here. It's not doing anything. It's like it's...

Waiting for something.

Suddenly, a petrifying howl pierces the air. Quickly following was a swarm of howls surrounding me. My eyes dart around me. Piercing red and black eyes peer out from the darkness, retching drowl foaming from their mouths. I take a look back to the Grimm right in front of me, its head twists around barring it's dagger-like teeth. It's like it's laughing at me. My head reels back. They... they planned this!

Those bastards!

Gun up. Push shoulder into stock. Stabilise. Target the head. Ready. Aim. Fire!

A deafening blast from the barrel of Warbreaker knocks me off my feet, my shoulder screaming out in agony. I cradle my shoulder with my other arm, looking up to see the Beowolf unharmed. I grit my teeth. Damn it! Damn recoil! That was even worse than I thought it'd be! I'm just lucky that my shoulder isn't dislocated.

A snarl from the Beowolf causes my heart to skip a beat. Dozens upon dozens of red eyes begin to circle me. This was far bigger than a simple small pack. The pack comes closer. Closer. Ever closer. I look at Warbreaker lying right by my feet. I was so focused on the shoulder that I didn't notice that I dropped it from the pain. I look back up at the Beowolf. It growls at me, licking its lips like I was some kind of tantalizing prey. My breath hitches.

Another howl and the pack start their hunt.

With all of my remaining strength, I swipe Warbreaker from the ground and I run for dear life. I run for a seemingly empty portion of the forest. No dice. A pair of red eyes are there to greet me. I skid in place, the Beowolf pounces at me. Its sharp claws aiming straight for my ribs. With adrenaline in my veins, I dive past the rabid Beowolf. Its claws just barely nick my side. I wince but nevertheless, I push on.

As I run away from the rampaging pack of monsters, I can hear a feint sound just off in the distance. I can't quite make it out with the air pounding through my ears.

A slash. I look up to see a collapsing tree about to crush me. Almost falling on my back, I halt my momentum as the large tree falls at my feet. Another Beowolf leaps onto the bark, its dark saliva splattering everywhere as it roars in my face.

Stifling a yelp, I change my direction as the remaining pack reforms in their chase.

How?! How can they do all this?! They're supposed to be mindless, stupid monsters! How can they possibly come up with all these tactics?!

A feral growl. My head turns to look but I'm too late. A scathing slash from a set of giant claws knocks the wind from my lungs as I'm thrown across the forest. Pain sears throughout my body. I force my eyes shut as my body clashes and tumbles against the hard ground like a ragdoll. Sliding to a stop, I finally open my eyes. A burning sensation courses through my skin as I try to push myself off the ground. The feeling's strange. My body's not broken but my mind still registers the pain as if I were.

If it weren't for my Aura, I'd be dead several times over right now.

I try to push myself up again, only to collapse as agony overcomes my mind.

Come on! I scream at myself. Think of what's on the line here! Think of what you're going to lose. Get up!

I can hear them. Chomping at the bit to tear me to pieces. I need to get up. I need to make some distance. I need to fight back! I need...

I need to get up!

Once more, I try to my aching body off of the ground. My arms are wobbling. I can barely stop myself from screaming out. I try to stand up with one leg but it quickly falters and I'm kneeling on the ground. My back aches: my arms ache, my shoulder's numb, my legs feel like they're about to fall off and to top it all off, I look behind me to see a gigantic lake as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, while the lake had frozen due to the cold, the layer of ice was far too thin. Pockets of broken ice lay scattered throughout the lake. I grit my teeth. There's no way I'm going to make it across that. I'll drown or freeze to death before I'd make it.

My hand taps my pocket. My phone. It's not there. Where is it?! I look back to where I was thrown from. Lying a few feet away from me was Warbreaker. I look up further to see a wave of Beowolves encroaching on my position.

Then, one particular Beowolf stands out from the rest of the pack. A towering, ghastly demon with solid bone adorning its chest and eyes that could pierce through your very soul. If a Beowolf pack is anything like a regular wolf pack, I'm willing to bet that's the alpha. I clutch my stomach again. Damn, that thing hits like a train. Hell, it might as well be a train. It ran over my like I was a speck. My eye catches a glint of silver. I zone in on it, seeing that was my five year old flip phone.

Lying right at the feet of one of the other Beowolves. My heart lurches.

"No..." I start crawling towards it. The Beowolf peers down at my phone, tilting its head slightly. I was too far away from it. There's no way I'll reach it in time. I stretch out my hand, like I'm trying to will it towards me. "Please." I beg. "Please don't." The Beowolf takes another look at me...

Before crushing the phone underneath its claws.

My heart stops.

The pack throw their heads back to howl but I can't hear a thing. I stare at the destroyed remains of my phone.

Years of dumb conversations between my big sister and I: gone.

Years of Mum asking me what I wanted for dinner: gone.

Years of phone calls asking me to switch my phone on after school: gone.

"No." I wail. I can't see their faces anymore. They're...

Gone.

A gunshot. My gaze wanders slightly. Standing behind the sea of Grimm was Qrow, holding up what looks to be some sort of gun barrel hidden by the sword blade. He yells something out, arms stretching out as if to goad them. One by one they start to turn away from me. I look back to the Beowolf who did it. The one that crushed my phone. I watch as it turns away.

My blood begins to boil. It destroyed my phone, one of my last possessions that I have from home. It destroyed it and it has the gall to turn away from me? Like nothing ever happened?!

How dare you.

My arm is trembling but I'm not afraid. I snatch up Warbreaker from the ground, aiming right at the Beowolf.

I press down hard. The rifle bucks against my shoulder. I managed to adjust to the recoil this time. The bullet rips into the Beowolf's back.

I raise my gun again. This time, the Beowolf doesn't look away from me. It streaks towards with a ferocious glint in its eyes. Another buck from the gun. This time, the bullet merely skids across the Beowolf's face. No damage. My tongue clicks.

It closes in, raising its claws. Overhead. It'll cut me in two if I don't pick my moment correctly. Five paces. Four paces. Three. Two.

An opening. It has its claws too high up. Now's my chance! I hit the button at the side of the gun, unleashing the bayonet with a mechanical click. Ducking my head, I lunge at the bigger Beowolf. The knife makes contact with its skin for a measly millisecond before the Beowolf hooks a claw underneath my stomach and throws me away.

Rolling with the momentum of the throw, I quickly regain mobility. I snap the gun to the Beowolf's head. My finger gains an inch on the trigger before launches itself at me. Gotta move!

Too slow. Within seconds, the Beowolf has me pinned beneath its deadly claws as its jaw vehemently attempts to bite me. I'm forced to use Warbreaker as a makeshift shield in order to fend it off but that only makes it easier for the Beowolf to have me well and truly snared. Its weight begins to press against my chest. I kick my legs as I struggle to breath. Damn! Damn!

Push! I need to stab it with the bayonet! Push!

The gun doesn't move. The beasts maw inches closer.

Fight harder, damn it!

It twists slightly but its still not enough. I won't be able to hit it from here. Push it more! My head was millimetres away from being ripped off from my shoulders.

Just one time! I'm so close! Come on! Fight! The blade's out. Slowly, I turn the barrel over. More. Just a little more!

Got it! With a jolt of energy, I stab the monster in the shoulder. However, it barely gives more than a meagre grunt and a feral growl. Releasing the pressure from the rest of my body, it raises its claw to swipe at me. Taking my chance, I roll out of the way. The claws scrape the ground as I scramble to stand up again. This has to be my chance. I raise the gun again and-

Not fast enough. The Beowolf's on me again. It slashes, this time making direct contact with my body. With the sheer force of the strike, I'm thrown back across the field. I stick my right hand out against the ground to slow my momentum, instantly reeling it back as a burning sensation takes over my hand. I collapse in a heap, wincing as entire body aches.

I lift up my hand. Instead of finding a fully intact glove, I'm greeted with severely torn fabric and blood seeping from a shallow cut. My blood turns to ice. I swallow down a huge lump in my throat. No Aura. No more safe-guards. I clench my fist tightly, letting out a breath of air.

It's do or die time.

The Beowolf howls violently. No wasting any time, I roll onto my back. Swiping my rifle, I immediately lock-on to the Beowolves leg. It attempts a lunge but I'm not slow this time. With a fiery ignition from the chamber, a bullet flies directly into its kneecap. With a terrible screech, the wolf's leg fails to hold up its weight and collapses in on itself.

However, the wolf isn't finished. Not by a long shot. Disregarding the anguish in its first leg, it pools all of its power into the other and prepares to lunge at me. Not this time. Switching from semi-automatic to burst, I fire a volley at one of the beasts arms. With a feverous reaction from the monster, all three bullets make their mark. One. Two. Three! The arms dangles limply. I push myself back up onto my feet. I'm not out of this, yet. I'll aim for the head. End this now!

Once again, I underestimate the demonic hellspawn. Despite the damage done to both its arm and leg, the Beowolf presses off from its leg and follows through with its attack. It takes its remaining arm and lunges straight for me. My eyes widen and I desperately scramble to dodge but it's too late. Not enough time! It's going to skewer me!

I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!

A mechanical slice. A blood curdling yowl. I lower my arms from my face. My eyes see red. A red cape.

Ruby? I look up. No.

Qrow. Of course. I shake my head. Why did I think it was her? He's been here the entire time, fighting against the bulk of the horde by himself. Honestly, it looks like he didn't even break a sweat. He's completely unharmed.

Same can't be said for the Beowolf, though. With a single slice from his sword, its remaining arm comes clean off and though it still stands, it was creeping at death's door. Qrow looks me in the eye, wearing an expression I can't quite understand. It looks like he's... afraid? Afraid of what? Why should he be afraid?

"Stay back!" My eyebrows furl. Why? You're here. It's about to die. I don't see any of the other members of the pack still alive. You killed them all. Why are you telling me to stay back?

My knuckles tighten on the grip of my gun. I see. I understand completely.

He thinks I need protecting. That I'm incapable of fending for myself. I'm failing. I haven't impressed him at all. I'm going to lose the bet: my chance to go to Beacon, my chance to go home, my hoodie!

No.

I won't let that happen. Sorry Qrow but...

"This one's mine." Without another word, I race pass Qrow. He screams something. I don't listen. I'm too focused on ending this wretched beings life. I lift up the bayonet, aiming for its heart. If it even has one, that is. I was going to finish this thing, once and for all!

Then, the Beowolf spurs to life. Trying once more, the beast lunges at me with its razor sharp fangs bare. It's trying to bite my head clean off. I've learned my lesson, though. I don't reel back and my body doesn't freeze up. I don't hesitate and I don't give an inch. Ducking my head, I lunge at the larger monster. Its fangs come closer. Closer. Close enough to kill. Not this time.

I said that it wouldn't be like last time.

For a few seconds, the only thing I can hear in my ear is my own heartbeat bumping against my ribcage. Contact in five. Four.

Three. Two.

One.

The sound of pierced flesh echoes throughout the forest. My mind goes blank. Did I win? Did I kill it? Am I okay?

The answer to all three of those questions is no. I didn't win. I didn't kill it. I'm not okay.

Not yet.

The Beowolf screeches in abstract horror as my knife plunges deep into its chest. With both of its arms disabled, it can't force me away like it did before. Pooling all of my energy: all of my might, all of the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I pin the monster against the ground. Recovering from its agony, the Beowolf writhes against the ground as it tries to throw me off. Gritting my teeth, I flip the mode of the gun as I grab on tightly to the stock.

Fully-automatic. With a press of the trigger, a storm of deafening bullets tear into the wolves body. I don't dare let go of the rattling Warbreaker. I hold onto it like my very life depended on it. I hold the trigger tightly. Over and over, more and more bullets decimate the wolf. My whole body shakes from the force. I have to shut my eyes due to the violent flash each shot produces. More bullets. More flashes. More. More. More. More. More. More! More! More! More! More! More! More!

Suddenly, silence. I press down on the trigger again.

Click. Click. Click.

With a shaking hand, I grab the magazine out from the gun, peeking inside it. Empty. I drop the magazine with a clutter as I look over all the bullet shells scattered around me. I look down at the Beowolf, my chest heaving in and out as I do. It stopped moving, its dark eyes turn dim. With a final glare over the body, I tug at the base of the gun. Another tug. Yet another. With a grunt, I final dislodge it from the Grimm. Upon releasing my gun, the Grimm dissolves into black dust. Slowly, it fades into the air, defeated.

At last, the fight was over.

I stand adrift in the middle of the forest, my eyes slowly starting to fall. I look over my shoulder at Qrow. Hey. What's with that look? Oh. Oh, I know. I smile lightly at him.

"How... how did I do?" My eyes drop and I fall into the deep black void...

* * *

Crunching snow. A heartbeat drums in my ear but it's not mine. My body jolts up and down with every crunch.

Stifling a groan, I open my eyes. I find myself staring at a red cape. Qrow? I look down to see his arms hooked underneath my legs. He's carrying me. I shake my head. What happened? My head's in a whirl. I remember... being angry. Really angry. A sea of Beowolves: a wave of bullets and... I let out a gasp.

My phone. My phone's gone.

My head falls. It... it didn't need to do that. You can tell me that they're mindless but I won't believe that anymore. It did that on purpose. Grimm are evil. Pure evil. Every single last one of them. They don't deserve to live!

At least I made that one pay for taking them away from me. That ugly, rotting, son of a bitch.

"Knock it off." Qrow reprimands. "You'll only bring more of them." I flinch at his tone, instantly loosening my grasp on his shoulder.

"S-sorry..." I squeak. He doesn't look at me. For a couple of minutes, we just stay silent. I remember... disobeying him. He told me to stay back and I refused. I frown slightly. I thought that killing the Beowolf might've impressed him, that it would prove that I was more capable than he thought I was.

This silence just proved that it was all for nothing. He's giving me the silent treatment. He's disappointed that I didn't listen to him. He's disappointed that I didn't fare well against the Beowolf horde. He's disappointed that I wasn't a better fighter: a better shot, just... better.

I failed. Completely.

"Kid. What did I just say?" He growls. "Stop it." I clutch onto my hoodie tightly.

"Q-Qrow..." I start "I-I-I know that I don't deserve it but, please. Please don't take my hoodie." He raises an eyebrow.

"You think you failed?" My knuckles turn white. My voice trembles with every word.

"I'll do anything, just please. Don't take it. It's all I've got left."

Qrow sighs. I squirm like I had just taken another strike from the Alpha Beowolf. My pleading hasn't done a thing. Now he just thinks I'm pathetic. A pathetic wretch. I should've known better than to try.

"Kid, you're dumber than you look." My head jerks up. He ruffles his hair. "The test wasn't to see how many Grimm you could kill. The test was to see if you impressed me." I perk up. Wait, is he really saying what I think he's saying?

"Congrats, kid. I concede. You win."

My jaw drops. I... Was he being serious? I take a good long look at his face. He's not smirking. He's not laughing. Hell, he's not even smiling! He's being completely serious.

"Well hell, don't jump for joy or anything," he scoffs lightly.

A smile starts to spread across my face. I... did it.

I actually did it!

"Yes!" I cheer at the top of my lungs. I can't believe it. I won! I actually won! I get to keep my hoodie! I can try for Beacon! I don't know how I did it but I've proven to Qrow and to myself that I can do it! I can get into Beacon! I can!

"Alright! Alright! I take it back. Stop cheering," he grumps. "God, you're even more when you're happy than when you're glum."

I stop cheering, quickly snapping back to reality. My cheeks flush a bright red as I rub my arm. "U-um, sorry." I'm still smiling, though.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You might've survived today but if you pull that crap you did back at the lake again, you'll be dead long before you're ever accepted into Beacon." His gruff voice says lowl.

My smile to fade away. That's right. I still need an answer.

"U-um, Qrow sir?"

"Six months." Huh? "There's an entrance exam for Beacon in the spring. There's only forty places available though. So, until then, we need to get you into proper shape. You've got a lot of bad habits to kick before then, kid." I bow my head.

Six months, huh? Then I'll make every day count.

Wait a second.

"W-wait. We?" I blink. Qrow just smirks at me.

"What? You thought I was joking or something? Starting tomorrow, you're going to be my pupil." He's not joking. He was totally serious about that? I thought he was just mocking me.

"But," he points at me. "Don't think for a second I'm going to hold back on you. I'm not that kind of teacher, kid. If I think for a second that you're not taking this seriously, I'm dropping you. No questions asked."

I stare him dead in the eyes before nodding firmly to him. He nods back.

"Good. Say, you're fine to walk now, right?" Well, my legs do feel fine. I don't feel so tired anymore.

"I... think so," I reply.

"Good." Without hesitating, Qrow releases his grip on me and I fall down to the ground with a yelp. "You can walk just fine then." He stuffs his hands in his pockets and keeps walking. Grunting, I rub my back as I glare at him.

"Just for record," He calls back. "Yang was right. You are light!"

I sigh lightly. That drunk's supposed to be teaching me for Beacon.

Me and my bloody luck...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Learning How To Fly**

For the fiftieth time today, I shuffle Warbreaker's strap back into place.

Once set, my head subconsciously resets back to resting on my drowsy arm. I let out another gust of air from my nose. I take another yearning look at the house little more than a few dozen meters away from us. It's warm, thawing heating and it's cozy, marshmallow soft bed are inside. While we're here. Outside in knee-high snow and temperatures cold enough to cause frostbite.

With a frown that almost feels like it's being etched onto my face, I spare another look at the dusty old Qrow taking yet another gulp from his flask. He hasn't moved an inch from his place underneath that tree of his since we left the house. Since then, it feels like time has slowed to that of a toddler's crawl. I scarcely remember the time when we left the house anymore. We could've been out for hours or even just a mere few minutes.

I really should check the time. My hand slips into pocket as it...

Swipes at absolutely nothing. My tongue clicks against my jaw. Right. Of course. How stupid of me. Damn muscle memory.

I fidget on the small rock I'm stiffly perched on. I tried to pace around as a way of keeping myself awake earlier but, Qrow told me to sit back down because I was 'Needlessly wasting energy.' He says as we're needlessly wasting time. I feel like every second we spend doing nothing out here takes me one step closer towards completely bombing the entrance exam. If he knows that I only have six months, why is he throwing our time away like it's spare change?

I shake my head. No, no. Qrow's a professional, a veteran. He's stronger, wiser and far more experienced than I am. He knows what he's doing. I just need to have faith. Yeah. Faith...

Can't say I understand his methods though. Last night after we returned to the house, he asked me the most peculiar question out of nowhere.

'What do you think are cooler? Shotguns or Sniper Rifles?' It sounded very casual at first. An attempt at starting conversation or maybe he just felt like small talk. I didn't think much of it, so I thought on it a little and gave him my answer.

Shotguns. It was much of a muchness really, I just think their raw power and close-quarters capabilities are very endearing, that's all.

Not sure if Qrow felt the same way, though. As soon as I gave him my stuttering mess of an answer, he hummed to himself and then stopped talking to me. It was a bit... curious. It seemed rude of him to do so, which doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest, but it seemed so pointless. Start a conversation just for the sake of leaving it? I don't understand the logic behind that. Even as a joke.

Then again, I don't understand Qrow at all so it all checks out. He's probably just a weird guy. I shrug.

I guess it doesn't really matter. If I trust anything about him, it's that he knows how to fight. That's what I need right now.

Faintly, I can hear in the distance the clunking sound of a door opening and closing. As crunching boots close in on the pair of us, Qrow lets out a single chuckle. "Took her long enough," he says under her breath. As soon as he bounds off of the tree, I quickly stand up to mirror him.

With a sly smirk, he calls out to the figure casually approaching us in a tone that's too mirthful to truly be reprimanding. "Just because you're not in class today, it doesn't give you the excuse to be late." I give Qrow a deadpan look behind his back. Like you're one to talk. My gaze looms over the direction where he's looking. The muscles in my body firmly seize as I see who it is.

Yang.

The girl that I've personally been avoiding the most. Yang rests a hand on her side as she coolly smirks at Qrow.

"Heh. Like you're one to talk, Qrow." That's... exactly what I was thinking. Huh. Guess I'm not the only victim of Qrow's mischievous ways. That doesn't surprise me in the least. "Oh. Hey!" My body straightens as she turns her fervent attention to me. "Been a while, huh?"

"A-ah. Um..." I try to think of a response but once again, my mind splutters and clumsily falls over itself, leaving my mouth stranded.

"Oh... kay then. Uh, how are you?" She grins cheerily.

"I- Um... I'm, uh... Er..." I can't take this. I feel like a complete tool. I-I don't have a clue what I'm doing, what to say or anything! Can somebody please save me from this torture?!

"Alright, alright. Enough of that. I'm starting to get embarrassed for you." Qrow thankfully interrupts with one of his typical jabs. I shuffle in place but at least that's that conversation over. I still feel a burning sensation in my cheeks though but that's par for the course at this point.

Qrow clears his throat loudly. "Alright. Now..." He takes another gulp out of his flask before finally putting it away. "For your first lesson kid, you and my niece Yang here are going to have a little spar." Uh, did he just say what I think he said? "It'll give us a better idea of what you're really capable of. Somewhere for us to start." Oh dear god, he's really doing it. "Now, you don't have a scroll so we can't monitor your Aura level so, the first to ground their opponent will be the winner. Are we clear?"

Yang shrugs. "Yeah. Sure. I'm cool with it if he is."

Wait, wait. Look, I know Yang has... ungodly amounts of strength and all but she doesn't even have a weapon! I'd be fighting an unarmed opponent. With a gun! That's not exactly fair.

A mechanical click. I take another look at Yang, my jaw dropping as the bright yellow bracelets on her wrists begin to shape around her fists. Pieces upon pieces start to cling together. A pair of gun barrels stick out from the front of the two boxing gloves, the barrels almost look like... shotguns?

Shotgun Gauntlets. Jesus Christ. Her bracelets were Shotgun Gauntlets the whole time. I knew that the weapons in this world were crazy and all but... Jesus.

Well, at least it'll be a fair fight. Wait, Ruby's Crescent Rose doubles as a Sniper Rifle. That's where we got the idea to include a scope for Warbreaker. Did Qrow really choose my sparring opponent based on whether I thought one was cooler or not?!

I was right. He is weird.

"Hey!" I jolt as Qrow snaps his fingers. "What's the matter? Is there a problem or something?"

...I shake my head. "N-no." I murmur.

"Right. Both of you take your positions." He commands. Rolling her shoulders back, Yang paces away from us and takes her position thirty meters away, putting up her fists in a boxing-like manner. Sighing lightly, I do the same, taking Warbreaker off of my back and wading through the thick snow opposite from her. My legs stumble as I move, stiffling my mobility. I almost end up face first several times over as I take my place on the field. I bite my lip. If I had longer legs like the pair of them, this wouldn't be too much of a problem. This is a definitive handicap I'll need to deal with during the fight. Crap.

"You both ready?" Qrow yells from the other side of the field, far away from the pair of us. Probably just giving us a wide berth to fight in.

"Ready!" Yang calls with a stable voice. Her stance is firm, solid like a rock.

"R-ready!" My voice wobbles. I'm shaking like a leaf, Warbreaker jitters against my gloves. Qrow takes a look at the pair of us, making sure that we're both in position. I gulp slightly as I keep my gaze squarely on Yang's stance. Watch where she goes. Don't let her out of your sight.

"Begin!"

Gun up. There's a fair bit of distance between us, I can land a few shots before she reaches me. My scope trails on her as she dashes towards me. From this angle, I can make the shot no problem. Finger quivering on the trigger, I just need to tighten it.

Tighten the trigger, I tell myself. Just tighten the trigger.

I prepare myself to pull but... I don't. I can't. My head's sending the signals but my muscles just refuse to follow through with the order. My finger's trembling but nothing more! Press the trigger, idiot!

My eyes widen. It's already too late. Yang has already reached me with a closed fist raised. With a stifled yelp, my head tilts as she comes in for the strike. As the fist skids past my head, her knuckles just barely skidding across the side of my face, a blistering explosion almost deafens my right ear.

"Gah!" With lightning quick speed, Yang turns with her momentum from the strike and attempts to score an elbow to my face. I try to move away but the sheer weight of the snow stops me from dashing away. Using Warbreaker as a makeshift shield, I let the gun and -to a certain extent- my Aura absorb the full might of the strike sending me stumbling away from her. I almost lose my footing but somehow, I manage to keep my feet firmly on the ground.

Yang doesn't let up, though. With a few quick strides, she continues her assault. A hook that almost nails me in the side of my head: an uppercut that just grazes my jaw, and a wild cross that almost takes my head clean off from my shoulders. I'm working purely off of instinct at this point, lurching my head back to avoid every shot by the skin of my teeth. It's taking every little ounce of energy left in my body just to stay alive in this fight.

Yang twists: a roundhouse kick aiming straight for my sternum. A sheer force slams into Warbreaker as I just barely block the attack. I stagger but I'm still standing. She must have left an opening after that last attack, I have a little time to move awa-

Another eardrum bursting blast. In a single movement, Yang swiftly rebounds from the force of her shotgun and plunges her elbow straight into Warbreaker. I'm unable to keep up my guard this time. The gun flies right out of my arms and into my gullet, leaving me gasping for air. A sharp pain shoots straight my body but it's not nearly the worst I've felt in the last day or so.

Then Yang roars a mighty battle cry.

"Kyaaaah!" Without missing a beat, she propels herself towards me. She lifts her right leg and I think that she's about to bicycle kick me in the chest but at the very last second, she switches her weight, kicking her leg back and smashing me in the face with a fierce Superman punch. A terrible howl escapes my mouth as a rush of agony floods my mind as my feet leave the ground.

My body is thrown weightlessly across the training field. It's as though gravity had been broken by the sheer power of her punch! Slamming against the ground, my body tosses and turns as my momentum sends me rolling through the deep snow. I need to recover, and I need to recover fast! The first one downed losses. If I stay grounded, Qrow will take that as a loss!

I still my gloved hand out, the one with the gaping hole right in the middle of the palm. Sheer cold inflames my hand as I stick it out to stop my intense velocity. I wince at the touch but, pooling all of my power into it, I manage to rebound back up to my feet. I gasp: I stagger, I shake and I shudder but I'm still standing. I'm still in this, for better or worse. I tilt my head back up to see how far she threw me and my jaw feel like it's about to fall off. A few hundred meters, at least.

Jesus Christ. That one was one punch! She threw that far away with just one punch! I knew that she was strong but that's... holy hell.

All away at the other side of the field, Yang charges right for me like a rampaging lion about to maul and devour it's prey. If I wasn't quivering before, I certainly am now. I'm not looking at just another girl my age. I'm looking at a beast!

Warbreaker. I dart around looking for my gun. There's a fair distance between me and Yang. If I can just find Warbreaker, I can take her out from afar before she demolishes me.

There! Embedded in the snow. With a desperate lunge, I swipe the gun out from its icy casing, setting my sights on Yang. A clear shot: nothing between us but snow. There's no way I can screw this up. Arch shoulders: tighten grasp, focus eyes, aim...

...Again. My head tells me to fire and yet, I do nothing. What's wrong with me? Why can't I shoot her?!

It's a fight. We have Aura. Things are different here. Completely different. I know this, there were several points yesterday where any normal person would have died had they not had access to Aura. I took a gigantic pair of Beowolf claws head on and I survived! She punched me straight in the face full blast and I'm still standing! She can take a bullet no problem, so why am I hesitating?!

"Kid!" Qrow yells at me from the other side of the field. "What the hell are you doing?! Fight back!" My hand still quivers on the trigger. I try to will myself to fire but I just can't do it. I can't do it. I don't know why but I can't do it!

" _Shoot!_ " He roars. I let out a gasp, closing my eyes as I press down hard on the trigger.

A loud bang rings in my ears. Smoke fizzles from the barrel of Warbreaker. A thump, a yelp of pain. My shot made its mark. I open my eyes, slowly. My blood runs icy cold when I see her.

Yang's kneeling on the ground, arm hovering over her left knee grunting in pain. I... I shot her.

Oh my god, I shot her! I shot a person! What the hell is wrong with me?!

"Yang!" I toss Warbreaker to the ground, pushing myself as hard as I can towards Yang. Oh god. I think the bullet went right into her leg! I could've hit a bone or something. What is the matter with me?!

Full of adrenaline, I finally make it over to Yang, kneeling right in front of her. "Oh my god. Are you okay!?"

"Uh, what?" She answers. I could hit myself right me. 'Are you okay?' Stupid question, idiot. Of course she's not okay!

"I am so, so sorry! I-I-we need to get you help!" I turn my head to Qrow, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Qrow! Qrow! Yang's hurt! We need medical atten-" A sudden weight grips firmly onto my wrist. Before I'm given time to fully comprehend what's happening, I feel my legs being dragged completely off of the ground. The world spins around as my body flips over and lands squarely back onto the ground, taking the wind right out of my lungs.

I hiss loudly. Looking up, I see Yang's bare right fist barring down on me, centimeters away from making contact with my face. She's standing over me, no wound on her left leg to be seen. She's fine. As healthy as she was when we started this fight in the first place. She's fine. Of course she's fine.

She has Aura. Stupid.

Qrow walks towards us, letting out a grumpy groan. "Alright. Stop. Yang wins." He says something under his breath but I can't quite make it out. It's something sarcastic, I'm sure. I seriously thought... No. It doesn't matter. I let out a sigh, smacking the back my head against the ground. Well, that's one way to make a complete arse of yourself.

"Hey." My head perks up. Yang's still standing about me but this time, instead of offering her right fist, she offers her right hand. "Let me help you up." She says with a bright smile on her face. My hand trails slightly as I hesitate to take her hand. I take another glimpse of her sunny smile. I... I don't quite understand it myself but there's something about it that just seems so... genuine. So real. I don't know, I can't quite put my finger on it. Despite my earlier reluctance, I swallow down my fears and I take her hand.

An icy cold takes over my hand as our hands make contact through the space in my glove. Jesus.

"Y-y... you're freezing." I say aloud.

"Well, yeah. It's pretty damn cold out here." Yang replies with a jolly tone in her voice... One by one, I start taking the gloves off. Putting them both in a bundle, I offer the black gloves to Yang.

"H-here. You can, um, take these." I bow my head slightly as I do. "Th-they, uh, the right one has a hole in it so it's not great or anything but, uh..." I couldn't think of much else to say so, I stop talking.

"Wait, you sure about that?" She asks. Timidly, I nod my head.

"Y... yeah. I-it wasn't even mine to begin with." Yang stares at the gloves for a couple of seconds before giving me a look.

"Where did you get these?" Jarringly, her tone's no longer jolly. Her face turns serious as she folds her arms. I swallow slightly as I answer.

"U-um... Ruby gave them to me. She left them on the table for me yesterday for my bet." I shirk slightly. "I-is something the matter?" Yang says nothing for a couple of seconds before focusing on me again. She shakes her head.

"Nah. It's nothing." She looks over at Qrow. "Hey! Uncle Qrow! I'm free now, right?" In the middle of taking a drink from his flask, Qrow gives Yang a big thumbs up. "Great! I'm gonna head off then. Got myself a little sister to talk to." I... Do I really want to know what she's talking about? Yeah, didn't think so.

Wait a second. "W-wait!" Yang turns back to me. "What about the gloves?" She just shrugs.

"You can keep them." Huh? Is she sure about that? "They're just gloves. I'll find another pair in the house somewhere." That's... fair, I guess. It still doesn't quite sit well with me but, I guess if it's fine with her... I give her a smile.

"Th... thank you." Yang just waves me off with a gleeful grin.

"Don't mention it. See ya around, Eren." With that, Yang turns around and walks away. When she passes Qrow however, they both share this look. I don't quite understand what it's about but Qrow doesn't seem to be too impressed with Yang for whatever reason. I don't know why he is, she kicked the crap out of me during the entire fight. Why would he be upset at her? Yang just shrugs at him and walks back to the house. Well... that was something.

Yang's... a really nice person, huh? I guess Ruby really wasn't exaggerating when she said they wanted to help. Hah. How about that?

"Right." Qrow voice cuts right through my thoughts. He stands in front of me as I quickly dust off the remaining bits of snow sticking to my clothes. Qrow takes another gulp from his flask. "So, what was your biggest mistake during that fight?" My biggest mistake? Hm...

"I... took too long to set up the shot. I was too slow." I answer.

"Wrong." Qrow bluntly tells me. "That was just part of the problem. What caused you to hesitate?"

"Um, I..." I swallow. "I didn't want to shoot Yang." Qrow folds his arms.

"And what did you do when you did shoot her?" He asks. Well, I rushed up to her to see if she was okay. She was completely fine and- "You panicked." Qrow cuts me off. "That's what you did. You completely forgot where you were and you let your emotions act for you." His voice turns fatally dark. "That's a deadly mistake, especially when you don't have anything to fall back on. You do that on the battlefield, you're dead. End of. Everyone's not always going to be there to save you, Eren." His use of my name causes me to wince. It's much like being ridiculed in the middle of class or when a mother uses a child's full name.

"I-I-I thought I hurt her..." I quiver. Qrow's nonplussed by my response.

"People get hurt on the battlefield all the time. Losing your cool and screaming for help isn't going to make things any better." I stay silent, eyes cast to the ground. Qrow lets out another sigh before continuing. "Did Tai ever talk to you about teams?" I lift up my head slightly.

"U-um, he did once but uh, he only really mentioned it in passing." Qrow puts away his flask, giving me his full attention.

"Well, if you make it to Beacon, you're going to be assigned to a team of four people." That early?! I-I thought Tai meant that they have teams just for missions or something. "And when you fight with that team, they're going to expect you to have their back. As their friend, and their comrade." He glints at me. "You can't exactly do that when you're losing your head, and when that happens, it won't just be your life you're endangering. You'll also be endangering their lives, too." My eyes widen.

"I-I didn't mean to-" Qrow cuts me off again.

"It's not about what you meant, kid." He points to his head. "It's about how you think. That's what's important. You can have fancy skills with a scythe or punch harder than life itself, but if you can't stop and use this thing right here? You might as well be just a punk with a gun." Qrow strolls over to where I left Warbreaker, picking it up out of the snow. "You're not strong: you can't take a hit, you're nimble but you're not fast, you can't do crap with your Aura, and the only thing you have going for you is that you're an alright shot."

Every word Qrow utters causes my gaze to lower and lower. He returns with my gun in tow.

"If you want to get into Beacon, kid, then you can't think like a civilian anymore. You have to think like a fighter, a Huntsman." He hands out my rifle. "That's what's going to see you through until the end. That's what'll make you a real Huntsman."

Gingerly, I take Warbreaker from his hands, sighing lightly. He's right. I know he's right. I stumbled through a mental block and it cost me. It doesn't matter that I don't want it to happen. Not wanting something to happen won't be enough to stop it alone. I need to control my emotions more. I need to, or else home will just remain a far away memory.

No. I won't let it.

"I... I understand." I look up at him. "I-I won't let it happen again, sir."

"No, it's going to happen again." He states. "That kind of thing isn't going to just go away so easily. Don't aim to get rid of it completely, kid. You're not going to win that battle. Aim to better yourself. Control it. Take that energy and make it your own." He looks me straight in the eyes. "That's how we get better."

R-right. Okay. I bob my head in understanding. You know, for as rude: crazy and drunk as he is, Qrow's not that bad of a teacher. At least, when he bothers himself to teach that is.

Still, I think I have a little bit more respect for the guy after that. He really knows what he's talking about, that's for sure.

"Right." Qrow takes out his flask again. "Lecture's over. Let's get back to work." He gives me a small smirk. "We still got plenty of time today. How about a little more training, kid?" I stutter for a second before giving him a small smile.

"I-I'm ready!"

I've still got six months to go. I'll need to use every second the best I can if I want to get into Beacon!

* * *

 **A/N -** Well, this is a bit late, isn't it? I had a draft already made sometime earlier in the week but there was a bit of a problem with it.  
It sucked. Hard. So, I had to scrap everything and start from scratch. From what I've done, I think it's pretty okay. Better than the old draft at least so, I hope posting late was worth it.

So yeah, little bit of interaction with Yang and a lecture from Qrow. I'm hoping I'm not making Qrow too antagonistic towards Eren. At least, not unjustifiably antagonistic. Neither of them hate each other, it's just that they both find certain traits of the other annoying and that's about it. At least, with where their current relationship is at the moment. Anything can change~

Also, I won't be able to post another chapter this month due to Uni coming towards the end of semester and having a few exams and submissions to hand in. So yeah, busy with all that jazz.  
Thank you very much for reading and if you have any opinions on the chapters so far, on any of the character portrayals or criticisms, feel free to post a review or send me a PM if you have any questions you want me to answer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Tai Green Curry  
**

Wheezing, I slump down onto the kitchen table, laying my head on my crossed arms like they're fluffy pillows filled with feathers.

I keep my head down as I let my chest heave in and out. My throat's painfully dry. My body's so numb that I feel like a walking corpse. Qrow wasn't kidding when he said that he wouldn't hold back on me. That quick spar with Yang earlier was kid gloves compared to that onslaught of a training regime he just put me through. He might as well have told me to lap the entire forest! I swear, I was halfway to it.

Unconsciously, I let out a rusty groan. My ears perk up slightly as the table shudders slightly and emits a small clunk. With a drowsy murmur, I tilt my head up from my arms to see a cup of water within arms length. Like a man stranded in the desert, I hastily grab for the glass, pitching it up towards my lips when a crass voice snaps.

"Hey!" I freeze immediately at Qrow's scolding tone. "Sip. Don't gulp." I flinch slightly before nodding meekly to him. One after another, I start taking small sips from my cup, savouring refreshing drop with a light gasp. I settle the glass back onto the table with a sigh, peering up at my teacher.

Qrow's sitting across from me, laxly leaning back in his chair, eyes scanning me as I finally let my body rest. As always, his trusty flask is in his hands. I don't think I've actually seen him without it the entire time he was, brutally, training me. Even when he's focused on something, he can never let go of his liquor. I can't help but pity the mess that must be his liver right about now. I can't tell if he's so good of a fighter that he managed to work through being constantly drunk, or if the alcohol has just been so prevalent in his body that it might as well be water to him.

I sigh lightly, looking over to the other man in the room with us.

Tai's by the kitchen cupboard, his fingers trilling against the counter as he surveys the contents within. Tied around his waist is a strangely designed apron. Brown with a hint of black around the edges and what looks to be some sort of yellow heart emblem emboldened on the front. There's some lettering on the front of it. Can't quite make it out, though. I shrug to myself. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a custom job or something. I turn my gaze to the gleaming windows, the sun bright enough that it makes the snow look like its glistening. Must be around lunchtime then.

Qrow puts the top back on his flask, clearing his throat with a gasp. "Alright, how are ya feeling?"

I fidget slightly. "B... Better." As far as almost collapsing from exhaustion goes, anyway. He folds his arms.

"Well, gotta give you a little credit kid, you lasted longer than I thought you would." That... doesn't sound like much of a compliment. I mean, if anybody else told me that then there might've been a bit more weight to it.

I don't think Qrow set his bars particularly high after that terrible display with Yang. I know I wouldn't in his shoes.

Qrow rolls up his sleeve, glancing at his watch before straightening himself up. "Okay, you take a little time to rest up. We'll start again in a couple of hours or so."

"Oh! Um, o-okay then." That's... rather generous of him. I was sort of expecting him to clap me on the back and say 'Your five minutes are up! Back out we go!' Then, he would start dragging me kicking and screaming out to the forest again. Lunch shouldn't take more than half an hour at the most.

Maybe he's just being lazy again.

My head tilts slightly as Qrow stands up, his chair scraping against the floor. He stretches his neck out, I can hear parts of the bone clicking together, as he grabs his sword and puts it on his back.

"If I'm not back in two, you get started ahead of me. Just repeat what we were doing this morning." He shrugs. "I won't be around all the time to teach you, anyway."

He's heading out? But Tai's just about to make lunch. Isn't he going to miss out?

"Tai," He calls out to the man shuffling bundles of food out from the cabinets. Tai stops and twists his head towards us, murmuring a 'Hm?' when he does so. "I'm heading out." Qrow points his finger towards me, "Give the kid a regular portion this time." Tai hums and nods his head.

"Okay. See you later, then." Without missing a beat, Tai goes right back to scouring the cupboards for food. I blink twice, looking between the two men as Qrow begins making his way out the room. I go to open my mouth... but I keep it shut, letting the older man leave uneventfully. It's really none of my business. It's probably nothing. He might just not be feeling hungry...

Blowing air through my nostrils, I take another sip from my glass.

I look over at Tai. Looks like he finally found what he was looking for. On the counter is a, rather baffling, amount of ingredients that look they're far more suitable for tonight's dinner than it is for a simple lunch. Spring onions: tomatoes, vegetable oil and a stack of curry packets that look like they could ration a platoon of soldiers for about a week or so. Doesn't really seem fitting for a family of four. Well, technically three since Qrow left the house.

They're probably different kinds of curry packets. There's no way they'd be able to finish all them at once. That's complete insanity. Fighting against bloodthirsty monsters is one thing, but you can't beat your stomach. There's no winning that fight.

Believe me, I've tried.

"Are you alright, Eren?" Tai's sudden voice makes me realise that I've been gawking at food for a good half a minute or so. My cheeks burning slightly, I shake my head drastically.

"N-no!" I splutter. "I mean, y-yes! " ...I'll just bow my head. "Yes. I-I'm fine, sir." Tai. "Tai. Sir..." Wow. I'm so great at talking, I could make a politician cry. I avert my eyes and let the judgement commence.

"Do you want to learn how to cook?" Huh? I turn my eyes back to Tai who, instead of giving me a critical eye, is wearing a soft unthreatening smile. "You looked interested. If you want, I can teach you how to do it." That sounds...

"Um..." I shake my head. "N-no. No. Thank you but, i-it's fine."

"No. Really. I'd be more than happy to teach you." I hum to myself slightly before once again shaking my head.

"N-no. I-I appreciate the offer, I do bu-but you..." I take in a gasp of air. "You've already shown me enough kindness as it is. I-I really shouldn't push my-"

"Eren." Tai gently raises a hand to stop me. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to help. Besides, giving you a helping hand isn't going to kill me." He shoots a sunny smile. One that looks very similar to... Much be a genetic thing. I suck up a gust of air through my nose. Well, if he's -really- okay with it then, there's no real reason for me to reject the offer. I mean, cooking sounds kind of fun. I let the air out of my nose, repaying Tai's smile with my own smaller version.

"O-okay. Um, yes. I'd like to learn how to cook." I fidget slightly. "Uh, please."

"Great! Alright. I just need to grab a couple of things." He points me towards the nearby door in the room. "There should be a spare apron in the closet. Put it on and we'll get started."

I nod with a small hum in response. As I stand up, making sure that I don't knock over Warbreaker laying right next to my chair, I take off the gloves I still had on from training and I leave them in a bundle on the table. Won't be needing these for cooking.

At least, I hope I won't.

* * *

Light peers through the crack as I creak open the closet door. My eyes lean for a light switch but there's nothing to be found.

Trying my best not to crush the piles of jackets, jumpers and overcoats roughly clinging together, I clamber my way into the darkness with my arms outstretched and grasping for cloth. Past the other outdoor-wear, a bright red pops against the little light shining through. I lean closer towards it, gripping the material as soon as I reach it. I squint my eyes and I can see... a rose. A red rose highlighted in black. Looking closer, I can see a few stubborn stains determined to leave their. An apron.

Ruby's apron. I don't think it's used for cooking though. Looking closer, the stains littering the front look more like cake batter. Maybe she has separate aprons?

Well anyway, I don't think this is what Tai meant by a spare apron, though. It's far expressive to be anything other than exclusive.

"Hey Eren!" I hear Tai's voice boom through the door, "How do you like your curry? Sweet or spicy?" I blink twice. I... don't really have much of a preference, honestly. I'm not exactly the biggest curry guy in the world. Normally, I'd just take whatever was given and let the taste do the talking. I rest my fingers on my chin. If you had to twist my arm, I would go with...

"Uh, spicy please!" I call back to him.

"Spicy it is, then!" More cupboard doors bumping together. Turning my head back, I focus on the task at hand, crawling deeper into the closet.

Another colour. Yellow. Definitely yellow. I reach closer and... Well. It's definitely an apron, same as Ruby's and Tai's. Bit of a problem with it though. This one looks a bit too... charred. As in, 'I'm afraid that if I touch this thing, it'll fritter into ash in seconds.' It wears the same fire heart emblem that Yang bares on her cargo trousers. I'd... rather not know what this one's story is. Better move on.

Ah! A bright white, as plain as bedsheets. This has to be the spare apron. The only person I know that wears white somewhere on his clothes is Qrow and... I highly doubt that he'd be the type to wear an apron.

I reach forward, ready to take the apron off from its hook and then... I stop. There's an emblem on this apron. An emblem that I've seen before yet, it feels almost completely different. There, highlighted in black, is a rose.

A white rose.

A shiver runs up my spine. I'm not sure but looking at this apron's putting me on edge. I-I don't know how to explain it exactly but, when I stare at that rose emblem, I feel like something -someone- is staring right back at me.

"Eren!" Tai. "Are you okay? Have you found an apron yet?"

"U-um..." I look to the white rose apron. There's no way in hell that I'm wearing it. That doesn't belong to me. My head darts around as I squeak back with a rushed voice. "Y-yeah! I-I-I've-" My eyes latch onto another apron. Beige, plain, and with no emblem on the front of it. Definitely a spare. Lurching forward, I practically tear the apron off from its hook. "I've found one! I'll, uh, be out in just a second!"

I close the door behind me as I leave, watching as the light fades from that bleak white emblem...

* * *

When I woke up this morning, I was expecting to be dragged through whatever hell Qrow came up with for our first training lesson. Something difficult, draining and probably very dangerous. Well, all three of them did happen today.

Didn't think it'd be because of a cooking lesson, though.

"Ow!" I hiss as the edge of the knife makes contact with my fingertips. Again. Instinctively, I drop the knife on the counter and stick the cut finger into my mouth.

"Your grip's loose." My head perks up slightly as Tai gives me his full attention again. A part of me winces as he has to move from the frying pan and focus on me. Again. He picks up the knife on the table, holding it horizontally and fully displaying the hilt. "See this?" He points at the furthest end the hilt, away from the blade. "You're holding it all the way down here. So when you're trying to cut the chicken, you put too much of your weight into it and it throws you off-centre." His eyes flash at my finger. "That's why that keeps happening." They linger on my finger just a little longer. As soon as I realise, I quickly remove it from my mouth as I silently curse myself.

Aura. Right.

"S-sorry, sir..." I bow my head slightly.

"No, no. It's fine. No harm done." He waves his hand gently. I take a look over his shoulder at the pan cooking over the fiery stove, the contents inside sizzling and cracking under the temperature. Sounds like his side of the dish is coming along well. Better than mine anyway. I sigh lightly. To think, all he wanted me to do was to cut the chicken thighs.

I hear Tai chuckle a little under his breath. I look up at him as he tries to muffle his laughter with a hand. What's he laughing about? I mean, me being a complete klutz isn't that funny, is it?

"Ah, it's nothing." He shakes his head. "I just remembered when I first tried cooking." He whistles merrily to himself. "Trust me. Whatever you do today, it's nothing compared to the disaster my first try was." My eyes widen. A disaster? Him? With cooking?

"B... But you're a good cook." He shrugs his shoulders.

"I just did what everyone did. I kept trying until I became good." He smirks. "You don't think everyone is born with their skills, do you?" I turn my head, blood rushing to my cheeks. "But, the effort was worth it in the end. Take it from me, Eren. Cooking is one of the most valuable skills you can learn. Nobody appreciates anything more than someone who knows how to cook." Oh! I see!

"L-like teammates." That's why he offered to teach me how to cook. Knowing how to feed my teammates on the field would give us one hell of an advantage. An army marches on its stomach. Even though, technically, Huntsman aren't military. At least, I don't think so.

"Uh, yeah." Tai scratches his head. "Teammates, right." He hands me back the knife. "Remember, hold it further up and keep it tightened when you're cutting."

I nod to him. "R-right." Back to it then. The knife's blade wavers over the chicken thigh. Biting my tongue, I focus all of my attention on the slice. The blade's perfectly align- Wait. I move it slightly to the left. Alright, now it's- No. No. Wait, I move it a bit more towards the right and- Damn. No. That's not it. It's not quite right yet. Move it a bit down and-

I growl slightly. No, no! It doesn't feel right. I can't cut it from this angle. I let out a mute huff. Let's try it from... this direction? Maybe? I look up at Tai, still there watching me work.

"Yeah, that's good. Cut it there." With one nod, I knead pressure into the back of the blade and roughly cut the thigh into two separate pieces. I let out a gust of air, looking over the first proper piece I've cut. It... still doesn't quite look right to me but, if Tai says it's good then that means that it's good. Mimicking the last cut, I move the knife up the board and start cutting into the rest of the chicken.

"Eren." I keep the knife held over the next spot, answering Tai with a quiet 'Y-yes?' "Where did you get those gloves?" Huh. She asked me the exact same thing this morning. I put down the knife, peering over my shoulder at the fingerless gloves on the table.

"Them? Um, Ruby gave them to me for my test. Yang told me that I could keep them." Which is strange, considering that they're the house gloves. Shouldn't they run it by Tai first? I'm assuming that it's just a spare pair keep around for the Winter, maybe a little gardening or something during the Spring. I mean, why else would Ruby give them to me if nobody else was using them?

"That explains a lot." Tai says. I have to tilt my head slightly at that. Explain what? What's going on with these gloves? Tai folds his arms, "Ahem." Huh? Is he talking to me? But he already has my attention. "I know you're there. I heard you come down the stairs." His eyes gleaming, he switches his attention from me to the kitchen door. Behind the frame I can hear a small 'Crap,' muttered ruefully under a feminine breath. Footsteps and out from the back of the door is a figure that I only just sparred with a few hours ago.

Only this time, she looks far worse for wear.

Creases cover the fabric of her clothes. The right arm of her jacket is left dangling as -for some reason- Yang decided to take her arm out of the sleeve and left the rest looking like it's going to limply fall off of her shoulder just barely keeping it together. While there's a distinct lack of bruises or cuts on her body, no reward for guessing why, her hair is sticking up like crazy. Before, her hair only had a single strand of hair sticking at the top of her head. Now, she looks like she's been cradling a plasma ball in her arms.

I can't tell what's more surprising: the fact that she's been listening to us for god knows how long, or that someone as unbelievably strong as her looks like she's just survived three consecutive car crashes.

Taiyang folds his arms and gives his daughter the 'Parental stare.' It's very similar to the one Mum gives me all the time whenever I do something wrong. Must be a secret technique among parents. "How long have you been eavesdropping, Yang?" He asks, his stance unwavering.

"A while." Yang replies, hand on her side. Tai responds with a hollow 'Mm-hm.'

"And have you finished cleaning up the pair of you made upstairs?" Yang groans lightly and rolls her eyes.

"Yes." She drawls. I don't have a single clue what they're talking about. The amount of questions I need answering have quadrupled ever since I got here. Part of me just wants to let the smaller questions go but...

"U-um..." I open my mouth and a slur of uncombined noises escape before I can shut it again. The pair of them look at me, Yang raising an eyebrow while Tai unfolds his arm. I avert my eyes, heat swelling to my face. Better just keep my mouth shut. It's none of my business anyway.

A mirthful chuckle from Tai. My eyes jerk back to him as he shines a grin at me. "It's nothing to worry about, Eren." He dismisses. "I'll have that hole in the glove patched up for you before you head out to train with Qrow again." I blink twice. Did he know what I was going to ask? How he figure that out? Am I really that easy to read?

Worry about that later. Just thank him. "Th-thank you, sir." Tai. "Tai."

Suddenly, a sharp hissing sound flares from the frying pan. Gritting a curse, Tai races towards the assortment of vegetables and spices in an attempt to sort it. As Tai cracks away at his side of the work, Yang closes the gap between us.

"Wow, you've been pretty busy today. As soon as you catch a break from Uncle Qrow, you start cooking with Dad?" She smiles cheerfully. "You must be a glutton for punishment, huh?"

"E-eh, u-um... I-I was..." My head and my mouth squabble over a proper response. With the class of a wet fart, the best response I can muster is the meek and horrifically awkward, "H-hi..." Yang just chortles lightly.

"Sup." She leans over to the side, over my shoulder, to eye up my cut slices of chicken laying there on the chopping board. I step aside, hands behind my back as Yang observes my work. Swallowing down, I clear my throat.

"I-I... Uh, Your Dad's done most of the work. I was j-just told to cut the chicken and uh..." I shut my mouth again. Yang faces me.

"You're running a little slow. I can show you how to cut them faster?" Before I can say anything, Yang swoops up the knife and haphazardly starts chopping the chicken into misshapen pieces. I don't know a whole lot about cooking myself but I can tell that the technique she's using lacks any skill whatsoever and it's primary focus seems to be pure speed. She's like the stereotypical butcher fully-realised. It's almost painful to watch.

Before I have any chance to stop her, she settles the knife down, dusts off her hands and proudly rests her hands on her waist. "There you go. One down." I'm... pretty sure it's supposed to look like strips, not fine paste. I don't even know how she did that, she was using a knife!

"U-um... thank you?" But of course, I don't have the courage to tell her that. She waves me off.

"Don't mention it." I'd best not. I have no idea how Tai's going to react to... this. Yang leans forward, "Actually, I was wondering about a few things Eren." My shoulders tense slightly. "Where did you say you were-"

"Yang." Tai interrupts her immediately. His voice sudden and steel-like. "A word." Uh-oh. I have absolutely no idea what this is about but the scowl on Yang's says enough for me to stay out of the way. Still, it can't be over the chicken, can it? I mean, yeah it's a mess now but, I can always carve up another one for them. It's only one chicken thigh. Yang follows her father into the living-room. Tai calls back to me, "I left another few packets on the side, just grab one of them and keep going until I get back."

"O-okay." Another few packets? We don't need that many, do we? I mean, how many packets could we possibly need for one curry?

* * *

That's a big bowl.

A really, _really_ big bowl. Seriously, if I stood it up side by side with me, it'd take up both of my legs combined. I think i finally realise what Qrow meant earlier by 'Regular portion.' I thought it was just a slip of the tongue or something but this. _This._

Inside, the curry sauce wells into thick bubbles of spicy delight. Onions and spices darts around the surface like hapless stranglers stranded in the middle of nowhere with chilli peppers and several slices of chicken bobbing out of the sauce like ships. It's a sea of curry, a monolith akin to other gigantic food could only be found in some decrepit, unhealthy fast food restaurant. This isn't a spicy chicken curry; this is a spicy chicken curry monster!

And Ruby and Yang are digging into it like rabid dogs. We're supposed to be having lunch!

This family is absolutely, one hundred-percent, crazy!

Tai settles my bowl after he's finished dishing it out, he notices how awestruck I am by these goliaths. He scratches the back of his neck, "Ah, right. You haven't had Aura for that long." He clears his throat. "Well, the thing is, when you have Aura for a certain amount of time it tends to have a few side-effects. Nothing too horrible or anything but it can still have a pretty big effect on your life." He looks over his two children eating like pigs. "This just happens to be one of them. I've heard of a few guys I used to work with back in the day who almost ate themselves out of house and home."

I shudder slightly. Oh god, I'm not going to be like that when I get home, am I?! Mum's going to be so pissed! I'll end up eating the entire house by the end of the week!

Tai chuckles lightly before pushing the bowl towards me, "Better get used to it. Unless somebody figures out how to stuff your Aura back in, you're stuck with it." He pats on the bowl. "For the rest of your life." I sigh heavily to myself. Should've known better. I figured that having Aura wouldn't have any downsides. Well, at least I'll actually be eating properly now. I take the hefty bowl from Tai's arms.

"T-thank you, Tai-sir." He nods his head.

"And thank you for giving me a hand. I don't know if I'm any good at teaching people how to cook but, it was nice having someone to help out and not have anything blow up for a change." I don't think i need to question that any further. Still, what he said does bring up something I've been meaning to ask for a while.

"Actually, sir." I settle the bowl back on the counter. "Um, well, I-I was... I was wondering something."

"Yes?" I shuffle from place to place.

"Well, uh, I was wondering that, um... Well, um..." Deep breath. Deep breath. "I..." I bow my head slightly. "What can I do to pay you back?" I keep my head down, awaiting an answer from him. I've been mooching off of him and his family for almost two weeks now. It's about time that I stop taking them for granted and start working to pay them back for everything they've done for me.

"Oh geez..." I gaze up slightly to see Tai massaging his temples. "She really wasn't kidding." He stops, takes another look at me for whatever reason before chuckling lightly to himself. "You really want to pay us back?" I nod.

"Yes." There's no doubt about it.

"Alright then." Tai eyes the clock. "Come back here after you're finished training with Qrow. From now on," he smiles. "You're going to help me cook dinner every day." He folds his arms. "Does that sound alright to you?" I nod back at him, a sneaky smile passes my lips.

"Y-yes!" Honestly, it doesn't really matter if it sounded alright to me or not. I'm going to do it regardless. There's nothing I hate more than not paying my debts.

"Good. In the meantime." He pushes the bowl towards me. "Your food's getting cold." Oh! Right! I snap up the bowl in my arms, lowering my head slightly as I take it.

"S-sorry!" Tai moves himself towards the pot, grabbing the ladle inside and preparing to pour what's left of the contents into his bowl.

"Don't worry about it." I'm about to turn around and head for the door but Tai opens his mouth to say something else. "You know..." He leans back against the counter. "You don't have to eat it upstairs. We've got an extra seat here if you want to join us?" That's... That's very...

No. I shouldn't. I shake my head. "Th-thank you but, I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" A pause.

"Y-yeah. Really. I'm fine. Thanks for offering." I'd feel out of place, anyway. It's very kind of him to offer but it's not my table to sit at. Tai looks at me for a second.

"Well... Alright then. Enjoy your meal, Eren." I bow my head to him.

"Thank you." I turn my back to him, walking towards the door with the bowl in hand when...

"Later, Eren." I halt my steps, the curry almost spilling out from the bowl. I turn my head to see a face down Yang holding her arm into the air in a departing manner. With her mouth full of curry, Ruby does the same while letting out a muffled 'See you Eren!'

At least, I think that's what she's trying to say. From here, it sounds more like, "Mffh euh, Meeffree." That earns her a quick scolding from Yang to swallow her food.

I... give them a polite smile before I leave the room.

* * *

Here I sit. On the floor in the middle of the guest room with a spoon in hand, staring at a overflowing bowl of spicy chicken curry.

Downstairs, I can hear a roar of laughter coming from the kitchen table. Talks of how their day has gone, what they were doing, who they've been talking to, sharing jokes about events that I have absolutely no idea about, random names that I've never heard of. I can still hear them going.

I take another look at my bowl. Sucking in my breath, I take my spoon and I scoop up one of the chicken pieces cover in a spicy sauce. Sighing softly, I open wide and take a bite. Chew. Chew. I'm waiting for the hot spice to burn my tongue but... I don't taste it. It doesn't taste spicy at all. It actually tastes kind of...

Bitter.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm free! And wow, I had a surprising amount of trouble writing this chapter. Bit strange considering that this one of the few chapters I had an exact plan for before I started this story but whatever.

Not exactly the most explosive chapter to return with, in-fact I thought it was going to be one of the shortest, but I think I covered all the bases I was meaning to cover so there we go.

Taiyang was surprisingly easy and surprisingly difficult to write for. We know more about him that Raven and Summer currently but the full scope of his personality so far has been amounted to 'Kind of crazy,' and 'Best Dad in RWBY fite me bruv.' I hope I wrote him alright all the same. Now that I'm free from Uni for the summer, I'll be back to releasing chapters on a weekly basis again.

As always, thanks for reading and if you have any opinions on the story, character portrayals or anything good, bad or 'I want to throw you off a cliff' let me know in the reviews and send me any PMs if you have any questions you want answered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Let's Yang Out**

The front door clicks back into place as my body collapses onto the living room sofa, a puffy groan escaping my mouth as soon as I make contact. Prone, I let the fatigue wash over me, the ever-present aching feeling in my limbs there as a reminder of the hellish exercise I just put myself through.

Good. That means I did it right, even without Qrow to teach me.

This morning, before I was about to head out to the usual place, Qrow informed me that he wouldn't be able to train with me today despite the fact he was usually off on the weekend. Apparently, he had some sort of 'thing' to go to in the nearby kingdom: Vale. He didn't go into detail about it but, the fact was, I'd be training by myself today. It's not the first time I've done so in the last two weeks since we started but there's something a little... odd about the whole thing.

Not that Qrow went away. From what I've heard around the household, Qrow has a tendency of leaving to take on Huntsman missions and other odd jobs. It's probably the reason why he never shows up to lunch or dinner. For him? That's not odd.

For Taiyang to leave with him? Now, that's odd.

Sure, Taiyang's a Huntsman too but from the sound of things, he doesn't leave as frequently as Qrow but when he does, it's not for very long and it's never with Qrow. Not to sound horribly pragmatic but, Tai's a single father and he has two daughters to look after: he can't risk his life like Qrow can. There's too much for him to lose.

So, what in the world would be dangerous enough that it requires both him and Qrow to go to at the same time?

Pushing myself up from the sofa, I stumble into the kitchen with the benign hope that Tai might've left a note or some kind of clue as to why the two of them had to leave. A glance around the kitchen and my hopes quickly crumble to pieces. There are no notes or hints to be found in this room, nor the living room. Whatever they're doing, they want kept confidential...

"Oh. Hey Eren." An upbeat voice greets me, causing my heart to jolt faintly. I turn around and there standing before me with a friendly smile is Yang. "What's up?" She asks casually.

"A-ah. Yang. U-um, hello. I was, uh..." I take another glance around the kitchen, I think about finishing my sentence but I shake my head clear of the thoughts. "Nothing. I was just thinking." I don't know why this is bothering me so much. It's really none of my business. What they do during their jobs is their business. It has nothing to do with me.

"You wanna give those thoughts some air?" She queries.

"I-it's nothing, really. Um, thank you for offering though." Yang's gaze lingers on me. I avert my eyes to avoid hers, waiting for her to make some kind of move.

Finally, Yang shrugs her shoulders. "Alright. Suit yourself." A tiny relieving breath passes my lips. "But," The muscles in my shoulders tighten as Yang's back makes contact with the door frame, her legs stretching flippantly taking up the entire length of the door. "I want to talk to you about something." She's wearing a smile on her face but the hairs in the back of my neck are still prickling.

"U-um..." I swallow hard. "O-okay."

"It's about where-" A gargantuan gurgle growls from my stomach. Instinctively, my hand lands on top of the groaning spot as I feel my cheeks enflame. It's always at the worst times, isn't it? I keep my head down, resisting the urge to hide underneath my hood. I can hear her struggling to hide her chuckling. There's no point, I've heard her laughter. Just hurry up and let it all out so I can die already.

"Hungry?" She says after she finally represses her chortles. I hope she's not being serious. She takes my weak murmur as an answer. "Heh. Well, you're in luck." I hear the floor creak as Yang pushes herself off the door. I look up to see her move further into the living room, towards sort kind of jacket and a pair of what looks to be black MMA gloves with yellow padding on the table. She continues, "I'm just about to head out to Patch to grab some package Qrow ordered. I was gonna grab some lunch on the way." She clenches her right hand, testing its security as the fabrics emits a rather loud crunch. She looks back to me. "You can tag along. I know a couple of places that'll knock your socks off."

"U-um... That's-" Without warning, Yang cuts me off.

"And you don't have to worry about that 'Paying me back,' stuff." I go to open my mouth in protest but she stops me once again. "Nope! None of that! This one's on me. I won't take no for an answer." Her tone's firm. I'm tempted to try and object again but this uneasy feeling in my gut's telling me that I'll just be causing trouble if I push this. I let out a weary sigh. Guess there's no helping it.

"A-alright. S-sure! Uh, t-that sounds really nice of you." It's not like going with her is a bad thing. I've never actually been to Patch. I wonder what it looks like. Besides, when we get to wherever she's taking me, I'll just grab whatever's cheapest and save her some money. Whatever it is on this world, anyway.

"Great!" Yang zips up her jacket, soundly pulling the zipper to the top emitting a click. Now that I have a better look of it, it looks eerily similar to one of those leather biker jackets I've seen in movies. "It shouldn't take us long to get to Patch. I'd give it about, hm, ten minutes. Fifteen tops."

Wait, I thought Patch was further north? I thought it'd take us about two hours at least to walk there. Unless...

No. There's no way. She's the same age as me. There's no way that she could have...

* * *

Oh dear god. She does.

"Well?" Yang smiles proudly, "What do you think?" Snow crunching beneath her boots, she strolls out of the family shed, tenderly pushing it along by the handlebars. What stands before is the strangest looking motorcycle I have ever seen in my life. Well, strangest looking real motorcycle that is. Bright yellow with a tinge of orange the occasional black blending together: a slim yet powerful design that seems to prioritize speed above all, and the distance between the seat and the front of the bike that screams sporty. It looks so...

"Cool." The word springs from my mouth before I have the chance to stop it. My jaw's practically on the floor right now but I can't help it. It's a motorcycle! A _freaking motorcycle!_ It's just, "So cool!"

"You like her? She's custom-made. Had to call in a couple favors to build her. Paint-job was all me though." She pats the motorcycle affectionately, "I call her Bumblebee." Bumblebee? Well, of course. It makes sense. Yellow and black, I can totally see why she called it that. Still, the name brings a certain giant robot to mind foremost.

"That's amazing!" I awe. I don't know anybody that owns a motorcycle like this, let alone someone just a few months older than me. I could only dream about owning one of these. That's incredible!

"Ready to take her for a spin?"

"...Huh?" I look between Yang and Bumblebee. "U-um, y-you mean, t-together? A-at the same time?" She scoffs.

"Well, yeah. I didn't bring you out just so you could ogle my bike." She swings a leg over the driver's seat and settles herself. "This is how we're going to get to Patch." 'Really thought that was obvious,' she mutters under her breath.

"B-but isn't that a bit, um... dangerous?" I shuffle slightly, arms by my side. I mean, what if one of us falls off? Or we crash or something? I don't know about her but I don't want to test the durability of my Aura by smashing head first into a tree at a hundred miles per hour.

"Oh don't worry! I've made the trip to Patch about a thousand times by now. I could do it in my sleep," she beams brightly. I can't really tell if she's being truthful or if she's just spouting a bunch of hot air. "Besides." She continues, her smile contorting into a devilish grin. "The danger is what makes the trip fun." A shiver strokes down my back. Is it just my imagination or did my blood just turn to ice? "Anyway, come on! Do you want to walk for three hours straight, or do you want to ride in style?" She pats the back of her seat. I'm really tempted to pick the former, but I already have to deal with the weather enough these days.

Letting out a breath, I clumsily climb onto the back of Bumblebee. Clipping on a yellow helmet over her gigantic hair, Yang passes me back a black and red helmet with an oh-so familiar red rose on the front of it. She's giving me Ruby's helmet? I guess they just don't have that many helmets to spare. I mean, there must not be that many gloves in the house if Yang is using MMA gloves for cover.

"Uh, dude?" Yang looks over her shoulder. "I thought you were worried about falling off?" I look down at the way I'm sitting, just barely edging out the back of the seat. Sure, it's not exactly... ideal but, I don't really have much of a choice here. Yang's just a mere metre away from me. If I got any closer... it'd be far too close. Far, _far_ too close.

"I-it's fine." I'll just have to make do and... not fall off.

"Yeah, no. Not buying that for a second." Yang deadpans. "Look, if you're really worried about falling off," she points to her waist. "Grab on and hold on tight." W-w-what?! Th-th-that's a little, well uh, for the lack of a better term, rather... close. I-I-I mean, it seems a bit, you know, ...risqué. I-I'm, uh, really not sure if that's- "Well? Come on! I wanna hit the road already!"

"Oh! Uh! Right!" I'm... still not entirely comfortable with this but, I'm not taking my chances with that irritable tone. "Um..." Okay, here's a question I never thought I'd have to ask myself. How do you wrap your arms around someone without making it weird or awkward? I'm shuffling side to side, trying to figure out the best angle and position to do so without coming off as a complete creep but I just can't figure it out. Every time I reach out my arms, I immediately reel them back before they can touch her. Disarming a bomb's easier than thi-

A deafening boom! A sudden explosive combustion rings through my ears, practically shattering my eardrums. Squealing, my arms lurch forward and away from the far end of Bumblebee.

With an erratic voice and my body shaking, I screech "W-what the hell was that?!"

"The engine," states Yang.

"T-the engine? That was the engine?!" That sounded like a nuclear bomb going off! What the hell's powering this thing? Uranium?!

"You holding on tight?" What? I look down and... oh. My, uh, arms are currently wrapped around her waist. I must've done it unconsciously when I, um, freaked out. Well, uh... At least I'm holding on now? Oh god, this feels so uncomfortable right now. I feel like I'm sitting on a cinder block. I mumble a meek 'Yes,' before bowing my head, hiding my burning cheeks from sight.

"Great!" With a powerful twist of the handles, Bumblebee's engine roars with a ferocious fiery blast. Every rev causes me to cling on that much tighter like the beast would hurl me off with every burst of energy. I look up at Yang, a wild smile and furled brows focus on the road ahead. Just looking at her, a hint of doubt plants itself in my mind whether I'm actually any safer holding onto her or not. "Hey Eren," she glimmers. "You know how I said we could get there in ten minutes?"

"Y-y-y-yes?" My voice quivers. Evil glints in her eyes.

"Let's do it in five."

* * *

As the loud humming of the motorcycle's engine begins to die, I can feel the wheels clamp into place, stabilising the bike.

"You can open your eyes now." Yang says, stifling a chuckle. Tentatively, I crack open one eye to gaze at the snowy ground. After waiting for my brain to catch up, I quickly collapse off of Bumblebee. My chest is heaving in and out: my heart is pounding fiercely, my insides feel like they've been through a dozen turbines and the my usual sense of gravity is non-existent. I've never gone that fast in my life.

That... was a rush.

"Geez..." Yang starts, looking down at me. "It wasn't that bad." Well, I never said it was 'bad.' She attempts to stick her hand out but I suddenly jump back onto my feet, stiffly dusting the snow off of my hoodie before she's given the chance. Before I can offer any kind of reply, I start to notice the whir of voices surrounding us. I look around me and part of me is overwhelmed by the sight of the much talked about Patch.

I have to say, the descriptions didn't nearly give the place justice. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't but find the sight of this new culture astonishing. Everything here is just so different from anything I've seen before it. Different architecture: different looking vehicles, hell, even different looking people with their bright incredibly expressive clothing. Stuff like a girl wearing some sort of gothic pirate garb or a guy looking like a mercenary rock-star; outfits as bizarre and crazy as that. If these people existed back home, they'd have people pointing them out and mocking them on the streets. Here, nobody seems to bat an eye. It's so... different.

I feel like a tourist here. Observing this strange new culture that accepts things that my own would scoff at it. They'd find this inane and immature. Personally, I find it, well...

"Amazing." I gasp.

"Really?" Yang asks, raising an eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong, I like Patch and all but, it's just your typical town." She shrugs her arms. "It's kinda boring, honestly." Well, of course it would be boring for her, she goes to Signal here every day. She probably finds this place as dull as I find my town. Highschool does that to you. "Anyway," she starts walking. "Come on. Let's grab some lunch."

"A-ah. Uh, yes." I cough, trailing after her as she leads us through the somewhat bustling street.

* * *

Following her lead, Yang brings me to this quiet, quaint looking cafe that's no bigger than a convenience store. As Yang shoves open the door, a bell ringing to alert the workers to our presence, we're greeted with the subdued chatter of the few patrons enjoying a quick meal. It's not empty but, nor is it obnoxiously loud. It's perfect.

As we nestled ourselves right next to the cafe window, I find myself leaning on my arm and watching as the tightly wrapped residents walk-on by without a single care in the world. Almost like they've completely forgotten the kind of world they're in.

Honestly, change the clothing and the strange colourful appearances and it'd be like living back home.

Except back home, we didn't have to deal with horrid monsters threatening to slaughter every human left on this planet for no good reason other than it's just their worthless purposes in life. Remnant is both strangely horrible yet, somehow at the same time, kind of livable in a way. Well, I suppose that's thanks to their defences and the Huntsmen, isn't it? Hm.

"Oh. So she is on the clock today." Yang says with a hint of astonishment, taking my attention away from the window and towards who she's looking at. Walking towards us is a young waitress wearing an absurdly normal apron and casual clothing combo. Nothing really notable or anything, I've seen far more elaborate outfits today, but something about her seemed really... off. I can't quite put my finger on it.

"Yang!" She greets quite peppy. "Hey! You didn't tell me you were going to come by today." Yang responds with a smile.

"It was a spur of the moment sorta thing. My uncle had stuff to do so, he's making me go grab one of his parcels for him."

"Oh. I see," she nods. As the two begin to chat, I notice that something seems a little... off about the waitress' posture. She's constantly arching her back like an old hunchback whose had it broken several times over. For somebody who looks like she's the same age as Yang and I, that doesn't look right. Or comfortable for that matter.

"You know, there aren't that many people in today," Yang remarks. "You can totally rest for a couple minutes." The waitress' warily looks towards the small bar, the furthest end of the cafe.

"You think so?" Yang nods brightly.

"Yeah, totally. He's too busy in the back anyway. He won't catch you." She shrugs. It's not like any of the other patrons are going to snitch. You can afford a couple of minutes." The waitress looks down, humming to herself. Looking up, she offers Yang a bright smile.

"You're right." Digging into the back of her jeans, she brings out...

I bound back in my chair, staring at the fluffy dog tail slumping out from the waitress' back as it wags to and fro just like a real dog tail. There's no question about it: that thing is a real dog's tail on a human being! As I'm engrossed with the tail, the waitress stretches her back out with a heavy sigh. **  
**

"Ahh! That's much better!" Her eyes snap to me, tailing halting. "Huh? Uh, Yang? Is your friend okay?" Yang's gaze flashes between us before simply waving her off.

"Oh. Don't worry about him. That's just Eren." If I wasn't so engrossed with the dog tail right now, I might've given that one a glare. A small one. Maybe.

"Eren? Weird name..." she remarks. She's about to turn her head away from me when she suddenly stops. "Wait," she gasps, slumping down onto the table next to Yang. "Is he that mystery guy who's been living in your house?" The long haired girl nods her head.

"Yeah, that's right," Jolting, I direct my attention away from the dog tail and to Yang's candid answer. Wait, has she been telling people about me? Why do I have the worst sense of dread right now?

"Oh, wow! I thought I was never going to meet him!" The dog waitress cheers for some strange reason. I'm not given any time to ponder further before she completely zones in on me. "Hey there!" The girl greets me rather loudly. Having little to no distance between, I struggle to find the proper words to reply with. How do you put 'Hi,' and 'Holy crap, you have a dog tail!' in the same sentence? However, I spend too much time thinking on an answer that the waitress just pulls back from me with a hand on her waist."Hm. He doesn't say much, does he?"

"Hit the nail right on the head!" Yang affirms with a big thumbs up while I fidget to myself. I'm not that quiet, am I? Who am I kidding, of course I am. The waitress follows up.

"The girls kept making all these wild guesses about him, I thought they were never going to go away." I sigh lightly to myself. Great, so they have been talking about me. I really don't want to know what kind of strange questions they have about me. I can barely stand being asked for my name. "Oh, crap! That's him coming back." The waitress splutters, tucking her tail inbetween her legs. "Quick, give me your orders!" She hastily brandishes a notepad from her left side and twirls a pen from her right. Yang answers first.

"I'll take the usual." Shooting me a glance, I swallow before I answer the strange waitress.

"W... water," I gasp. Simple, cheap but the thought of drinking it sounds like the most refreshing thing in the world right now. Jotting both of our orders down, she gives us both an energetic bob.

"Great! I'll get these to you ASAP. I'll talk to you later, Yang. You still coming to that party next week with the girls? Winter break's coming." Yang smirks with a fiery look in her eyes.

"Heh. You know it. See ya." The waitress waves to us bot, walking to the back of the cafe with our orders in tow. I blink twice. Well, that was certainly... something. "Let me guess, they don't have Faunus where you live, huh?" Yang asks, startling me slightly. I shake my head gently.

"N-no. They don't." When they described the Faunus to me that day, I had this picture in my head of them being... well, more animalistic than human-looking. Her appearance really took me by surprise. I never thought they'd look so human. It's actually kind of... fascinating. I wonder if could get another chance to... No, no. That's a stupid idea. I'd just be bothering her. Better leave it be for now. Yang accepts my answer with a firm nod.

"Yeah, I figured as much. I take it you don't know about the Great War, either?" A vivid image of a series of World War documentaries flashes in my mind for but a second. I shake my head. We're not thinking of the same war here. I shake my head again.

"N-no. I haven't." Yang hums lightly, finger trailing on her chin.

"That explains a lot. Right. I want to ask you a couple of things."

"O-oh. Okay," I reply, fiddling with my thumbs.

"It's about where you come from." My body freezes. The same sense of incoming dread I felt the first time they questioned me returns, albeit in a weaker form. I think about saying something but in this condition, I'll be as coherent as flopping fish. "I want to know how exactly you ended up in the woods that day." My head's in a whirl, scampering for answers. With a quivering voice, I attempt to dodge her query.

"I... D-didn't I t-tell you? I-" Yang instantly interrupts me.

"Don't know. Yeah, you said that a lot but you didn't say anything else." I cast my eyes adrift. Well, there wasn't exactly much else I could say on the matter. "You didn't say much else about a lot of stuff, actually." I smother the urge to furl my eyebrows. I know why I didn't say much else, I know my reasons for doing so but that doesn't mean I have the right to get annoyed right now. I simply reply,

"I'm... I wasn't lying." She shakes her head.

"I don't think you were lying." The muscles in my shoulders relax slightly. "But that's the problem. If what you're saying is true, then there's some sort of uncharted civilization out there with its own technology, doesn't have Grimm, doesn't have Faunus and they have no idea how Aura works. You know how crazy that sounds, right?" She lists out every fact with her fingers. For every reason she points out, my mind matches it with another reason to counter it. Reasons that I know full and well are completely true.

Yet, I stay silent. Yang huffs and tosses her bright golden hair over her chair.

"Look, I don't know if you're telling the truth or not. But I know that you weren't telling us everything. Especially the way you started stressing out and everything." Well, I have to admit, I was a little red throughout the questioning but...

"I... It wasn't that bad." I retort weakly. In response, Yang folds her arms on the table.

"You looked like you were going to explode. Literally. Explode, you were so red." W-well, they were asking me quite a few questions! I honestly wasn't that bad in comparison, I swear. "You're trying to keep something hidden from us, I know it."

"...Is it okay if I can be honest?" With a blink and a nod from Yang, I puff out my chest and zip down the front of my hoodie. Despite the freezing snow outside, I feel like I'm melting in this room. Letting out the air in my lungs, I tell her exactly without any further hesitation. "I don't want to tell you." Yang jerks her head back, taken aback by my blunt answer.

"Why not?" I look down at the table, avoiding her eyes like they'd burn right through my skull. I speak my mind further.

"Because you're not going to believe me." Hell, part of me still doesn't believe that any of this is happening and I'm living it. If I'm still struggling to fully grasp what's happening to me, why should I think that a total stranger would instantly believe me. She leans forward, arms on the table.

"Look, if you're going through some trouble, just tell us. We can help you." Drastically, I shake my head.

"You are helping." Hell, they've been helping me too much. More than they really should, honestly. "It's just..." There's no way they're going to believe me. No way. I bow my head, my answer final. "I can't."

"Eren..." I look out the window, away from her. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely steadfast in my decision not to tell them but I'd rather not see the disappointment on her face right now. "Ah, geez." I can hear the weight of her chair shift as she leans as far back as she possibly can, laughing bitterly to herself. "Well, I gave it my best shot."

"I'm sorry," I sigh. There's no helping it. Without any solid evidence, there's no way that any sane person would believe me. Some irrational part in my head's telling me that if I still had my phone or even my spare change that I must've lost back in the forest, I might've been able to change their minds. It wouldn't be that simple. Of course, it's never that simple. Yang lets out a loud groan, sitting in her usual position with an arm laying casually on the seat. Her tone rather muted but still distinctly full of energy.

"Look, if that's how you really feel about it, then fine. I'm not gonna force you to do anything. It's none of my business anyway," she says, stroking her large hair. "Just, y'know, if there's anything you want to talk about, you can tell me," she says, flashing me a cocky smile. "Trust me, I'm a better listener than I look."

"I... I will." I don't know what pushed me into saying that but, I don't feel even the smallest indication of dread from saying so. Sure, Yang can be a bit... bombastic but, when it comes down it,"You're a really nice person, Yang," I tell her with a smile. She has to blink a couple of times, almost like I was just speaking another language.

"Woah. Where'd that come from?" I merely shrug at her.

"Just... being honest, that's all." Well, I am. I haven't known her very long but, I think she's a good person. I think the entire family's filled with good people. That just seems to be how they are. Even Qrow, though he's a bit of a jerk. Without questioning me further, Yang giggles.

"Heh. Honest. I like it when you're honest." A beat goes by. I blink like a complete idiot, like I thought that I could hear with my eyes instead of my ears. Did... did she really just say that? But that... that doesn't make any sense. Why would she want me to be honest? Before I have any say, Yang almost jumps out of her seat. "Oh! That something. You being here is actually perfect! I can just give it to you instead of Uncle Qrow."

Huh? Give what?

* * *

"Here you go," Yang says merrily as she presents a bright white box with a picture of a sleek looking device that looks -eerily- like an iPhone from back home. It's looks like the same device that each of the family members have. I think they called it a 'Scroll?' I didn't have time to ponder as I take the box from her arms, staring at it like I'm holding thin air.

"This... is for me?" I ask her. She replies with a cherry nod.

"Yep! Qrow ordered it for you. It's the most update to date model they've got." Qrow... bought this for me? That's so unlike him. I figured he would just prepare me for the exam and that would be it.

"Why would he..." My words trail off. Yang's more than happy to fill in the blanks for me.

"Well, Scrolls don't actually cost that much anymore. They're kind of a mandatory thing with the kingdoms and all. I'm pretty sure Qrow's exact words were," Yang clears her throat and begins imitating Qrow with a voice so over-the-top husky that it could be in a film noir. "'Hmph! That kid doesn't have a clue about scrolls. Without one, he won't have a chance of getting into the entrance exam. I'd better go buy one for him. It's not like I care or anything s-s-stupid!'" I hold back a giggle, letting a small smile pass my lips.

"He didn't actually say that, did he?" She just shrugs at me.

"Eh, close enough. It came from the heart," she says in a dream-like tone. It's like she's fawning over her own acting skill like a primadonna. I make sure she's looking the other way when I roll my eyes, still with a smile on my face. "Well, you gonna open it?" I blink.

"Huh? Here?"

"Yeah. It shouldn't take too long to start up." I look back down at the box, gulping down a sliver of saliva.

"Well, um, okay." Hesitating slightly, I slide the quality packaging off and slip my hand through, tenderly taking the device out of the box. "Wow," I gasp. It's... sleek. Very sleek. Holding it in my hand, it feels like a paperweight. Like I'm carrying carboard. Of course, as I'm twisting the device around, I only have it in its sheathed form, the one where it looks like a simple white envelope. Curious design. Clicking on the obvious bright yellow button, the device unfolds into its proper touchscreen form. Is the screen... holographic? My eyes light up, that's so cool! They have proper holograms here! They're so far ahead of us technologically that it's not even funny! It's just amazing! I tap on the screen and...

Nothing happens. "Uh."

"Need a hand?"

"No, no! I-I've got it." I tap it again. Nothing. Puffing up my cheeks, I urge myself on as I start rapidly tapping the screen over and over again. Nothing. Nothing. Still nothing! Crouching down, I furiously resume my attempt to get this damn thing to work! "Just need to- Oh, come on. You stupid. Little. Thing!" Groaning audibly, I stand up and gaze at Yang wearing a great big smirk on her face. "Um..."

"I gotcha." I gently hand the Scroll over to her as she quickly goes to work, opening the screen without so much as a two second delay. "Okay. It's looking for your full name. So, 'Eren'" With nimble fingers, she enter my first name into the device with the correct spelling. "Got it. What's your surname?"

"My surname?" I have to pause for a moment, resisting the urge to smack myself in the head as the realization strikes me."Oh, that's right." I never told them my surname. Or rather, I merely assumed they only wanted my first name when they asked for it. I didn't wish to annoy them so soon after meeting them. "Well, uh..." I scratch my neck.

"Liddell."

"Liddell? Eren Liddell," she says like she's testing how it sounds. With an approving hum and a bob of the head, she inputs the last few characters without delay. "Alright, that's you in. There's a couple other things you'll need to do first but we can sort those back at the house." Before handing the device back to me, she taps something in without any allusion as to why. "Alright. There. Here you go." Yang offers the Scroll back to me as I tilt my head a little. Softly taking it back, my curiosity takes over as I -not without effort- scan through for some sort of discrepancy. Given my history, I pick out what she did to my new Scroll almost instantly.

"Yang, your... your contact information's in here." She snorts at me.

"Well, duh. I put it there." My eyes widen but, Yang continues regardless. "Anytime you want to ask me anything, you can send me a text. I don't have your information yet so, you're going to have to send one first." I shuffle slightly.

"Oh. I see." I... guess that's fair. I did say that I would talk to her if I needed to back at the cafe. Can't say that the whole thing doesn't make me a little uneasy, though. Having someone outside of the family have my number? It's... a strange feeling.

"You should think about asking Ruby for her number." She states, giving a faraway glance with her following words. "And maybe Qrow and Dad if you really want, I guess." I give the idea a moment of thought before bowing my head.

"Y-yeah. I'll... think about it." I have no clue as to why she would suggest that but, it's not like I talk to anybody else these days. Yang rests her hands on her waist, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, just let me know if you have any problems 'Scrolling' through that thing." With the extra emphasis on the word,

"Heh," I chortle quietly, clamming up almost instantly when I fully understand what I just did. Part of me prays that she didn't catch that.

"Huh? Huh?! Did you just laugh?!" Oh crap. Wiping the smile clean off my face, I greet Yang's question stone faced. "You totally laughed. You laughed at my pun!" Responding, I shake my head violently. My composure withering as she continues to gawk at me.

"N-no I didn't." I reply with a wavering tone, doing my absolute best to try and deceive her. Her eyebrows furl and whatever hope I had of her dropping this conversation is thrown right out the window.

"Hm..." Yang leans in closer, wearing the same evil grin she wore during the motorcycle ride. "You know, you were looking really rough when Ruby first brought you in. It's a good thing that Dad 'Patched', you up."

"Keh!" A splutter of laughter seeps through my mouth but a firm bite of my lower lip pushes it back. Her devilish grin widens even further than it does before. Once again, she leans in closer.

"Hey. You came with me all the way to grab that parcel, right. Do you wanna know what that makes you?" I don't think I can hold my laughter back any longer! Please don't! "An Eren'd, boy."

I burst into a guffaw loud enough that it practically echoes throughout the streets Cradling my gut with both of my arms, I'm struggling to find the strength to stop. There are probably people staring at me like I'm some sort of deranged madman but there's nothing I can do to stop it! Damn my crappy sense of humour!

"Yes!" Yang jumps for joy, arms stretched out into the air. "Finally! Someone who appreciates my puns!" As I continue laughing, Yang leans in closer.

"Hey! Hey! Don't get started yet, I've got a whole lot more of where those come from!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I will never understand how there are people on this site who can write stories with only dialogue. That cafe scene was absolute hell. This is why I like having a quiet anti-social protagonist! Bleh!

Also, I started this story with a word limit for certain chapters. Guess I can throw that out the window now. To be fair, there was a lot to cover in this chapter and I don't think I was able to fit all of it in. There was supposed to be a more in-depth talk about the names but it only really served to derail the conversation. I tried to fit as much of Yang's sass and confidence as I could but, there's only so much I could've shown considering how serious and humourless the conversation in the cafe was. I'll get more chances later on.

As always, if you have any opinions good or bad about the story or character portrayals so far, be sure to leave a review or send me a PM if you have any questions.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Blossom  
**

With a flick from my finger, I continue wading through the copious amounts of text on the screen of my Scroll.

It's taken me about a week but, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this thing. There's a few features here and there that I haven't tried out yet but, I can actually use the damn thing now. The sensitivity's a lot higher than any touchscreen I've ever tried before. It takes a bit of patience and perseverance to kick a few bad habits I've retained from my DS. I expected there to be differences between an LED touchscreen and a holographic one but, I didn't think it'd be this much of a hassle, especially when I've been around technology all my life. It's strange. Fascinating, but strange.

With my eyes firmly latched to the screen, I shuffle my head against the bed pillow as I swipe through the swarm of information. My teeth grit. Despite the sheer amount I've been wading through for the past half an hour: I haven't been able to fine what I've been looking for.

This morning, as part of our daily training regiment, Qrow decided that instead of our usual routine, we would focus on a form of Aura training.

More specifically: discovering what my Semblance is.

In layman's terms: a Semblance is some sort of superpower. It doesn't sound particularly complicated where I say it out loud, does it? Well, there's a bit of a reason for that. The thing is, everything that Tai told me that night about Aura was literally 'everything.' It didn't take longer than an hour but, in that time, Tai summarized everything that Remnant had learned about Aura and, to an extent, Semblances.

So, after helping Tai make lunch, I thought it might've been a good idea to use the browser on my relatively new Scroll and maybe see for myself if there's any correlation that I've been missing. So far, that hasn't really been the case. Don't get me wrong, I've found plenty of online articles, blogs and forums from several fighters between the four kingdoms detailing how they discovered their Semblances but I haven't found a single link between any of them.

They're all different: different powers, different amounts of time, different circumstances. Hell, they're so different, not all of them were able to confirm which of their traits might've effected it. Due to the powers manifesting from a person's Aura, the powers have a relation to a few traits of that person's personality. The fact that there are people out there that can't connect their Semblance to their own personality traits is very troubling.

That means the "Trigger," for the Semblance might be something I'm not even aware about.

I stifle a sigh, tearing away my gaze to glare at the bedroom ceiling. This isn't helping. I'm just going around in circles at this point. Bringing my attention back to the Scroll, I swipe the browser away into the background. If I haven't discovered it after afternoon training, I'll try reading through them again. See if there's anything I've missed. I highly doubt it though.

I just wish I had something conclusive to work with. Something that gives me a better indication of what I should be trying instead of 'Do random crap until something mystical happens.'

Maybe these articles aren't going deep enough. Maybe if I ask somebody of what their Semblance experience was like?

Peering at my Scroll again, an afterimage of a beaming face and golden hair forms in my head. A young vivid memory that had formed only a week ago yet, somehow always pops into my mind when I look at my fresh mobile device. A thought occurs to me. I sit up, fingers flickering through the applications, stopping at the almost bare contacts app that I found myself staring at more than one occasion. Standing alone, at the very top, is her name. Biting my lip, I hesitantly select the message button.

The empty screen appears. The same obnoxious message telling me the obvious is still there. My stomach unsteady, I tap the message bar and unlock the keyboard. Okay, only one step left: type the message. Swallowing, I slowly lower my finger down to the screen. Slowly. Slowly.

It stops, still a few inches away from the screen. My thoughts reticent, I hiss out "What the hell am I doing?" Without a second thought more, I close the Scroll down and hurl my head right back into the pillow.

"I'm such an idiot," I curse myself. Yang's out with her friends. If I sent that now, I'd just be annoying her. She doesn't want to spend her Saturday afternoon listening to some idiot whine about his Semblance problems. I should just leave her alone and solve this by myself.

I gently settle the Scroll onto the bedside table, right next to my lunch bowl, and palm my temples, a heavy sigh heaves from my chest.

However, as soon as I do, my ears pick up the husky sound of panting that feels eerily close to me. Without a moments notice, I launch myself off the bed. My erratic gaze darts around the room, searching for the second voice. The weighty panting intensifies. I peer down the side of my bed and standing there, the source of the husky voice, is an all-too familiar adorable corgi.

"Zwei?" I gasp.

"Arf!" He replies, tongue waggling as it always does. I let out a breath. With a hand reaching out to pet him on the head, legs dangling over the side, I look up to see that the -once closed- door wide open. Unable to hide the surprise in my voice, I ask him "How in the world did you manage that?" I'm not even mad. I'm more amazed than anything else, really.

"Arf! Arf!" He barks at me, like I was expecting a proper answer in the first place. Dogs somehow manage to accomplish the weirdest things, I swear.

"Zwei!" Just then, a bubbly voice calls out from the stairs. "Where'd you go, ya silly butt?!" Ruby? Before I'm given any chance to move, Zwei bounds from his position and torpedoes himself right at me. I let out a yelp, more like a squeal honestly, as he parks himself right on my lap. Unsure of what to do, my arms hover around him as though I'm trying to conjure a magic bubble or something. As she finally reaches the top and with the door wide open, Ruby quickly catches eye of us.

"Oh! Hi Eren!" Her attention shifts to the merry corgi on my lap, eyebrows furled. "Is Zwei bothering you?" I recognise her tone. It's the exact same one I take with my dog from time to time. It's the 'Disappointed parent,' voice you use when your pet's being rather inappropriate. It's not scathingly harsh or anything, it's more to show disapproval than anything else.

"U-uh..." I splutter. Zwei tilts his head towards me, giving me the most adorable face. He's a step away from begging me not to send him away. "N-no." I shake my head. "No. He's been fine." I think it's impossible for this dog to annoy me, even if he tried. Ruby blinks twice before smiling.

"Well, good!" With her eyes locked on Zwei, she slaps both her knees to call him. "Come on, boy! It's time for your bath!" He doesn't move, staring blankly back at her. With a twitch in her lip, she walks into the room with her arms stretched out. "I'm just going to carry you if you don't come down now," she says in a sweet tone. However, the gleeful corgi has a retort in mind for his owner, he simply flops down and lies on my lap. Ruby's face falls as her eyes narrow. "Clever boy..."

'Clever boy,' is right. This dog's heavier than he looks and he's practically glued to my legs right now. I can't even move them. Unsure of what to do, I ask, "Um, d-does he usually do stuff like this?" Wearing a pout that would look unbecoming on another person, Ruby huffs and folds her arms.

"Yeah. He always tries to find a way out of getting a bath," she groans loudly. "Argh! Why are you always such a pain over this, Zwei?" She throws her arms up into the air. "It's just a little water!" Her body slumps are she glares lightly at him. "You don't act like this when it's raining." I catch a chortle that almost escapes my throat. As anti-social as my dog is, I don't think he'd be able to deny how much he has in common with other dogs.

"Hey kid!" A rough voice calls from downstairs. There's no way I can mistake that for anybody else than my mentor. "Break's over! Time for round two!"

"Coming!" I call back, uneasily looking down at the cute little dog taking up residence.

"Uncle Qrow's pretty strict, isn't he." Ruby suddenly states. Jolting my head up, I shuffle lightly against the bed covers.

"I, um, I suppose so?" I say, my voice hushed as though had the ears of a bat. If he hears me, my training's going to become a lot more... difficult. Hands behind her back, she bounces in place.

"What are you training on, today?" She queries.

"U-um, we're trying to find my, uh, Semblance," I answer. "Qrow thinks that I'd have a better, u-um, chance at the entrance exam if I-I knew what my Semblance w-was." I'm not entirely sure why Ruby would be interested in what we're doing but, I figured it wouldn't really hurt to tell her or anything. In-fact, if my eyes aren't trying to fool me, I think I see something glint in Ruby's silver eyes.

"I can help!" Before I can even consider opening my mouth to stop her, Ruby quickly rushes out the door yelling back, "I'll go talk to Uncle Qrow!" Just like that, Ruby thunderously bolts back down the stairs, leaving me slack-jawed. Is it just me, or am I becoming predictable? Well, anyways, I should probably follow her.

"Zwei?" I say softly. "I need to go now." Zwei just gives me a look. Instead of sitting up and letting me leave, I feel his weight press harder on me like he just transformed into cinder blocks.

Uh oh.

* * *

It took a considerable amount of goading -as well as a belated promise of a portion of my dinner tonight- but I finally managed to escape my pint-sized captor.

As I tiptoe down the stairs, my ears pick up Ruby's high pitched squealing. When I reach the bottom, the first thing my eyes draw towards is the hyperactive form of Ruby who's jumping up and down like her entire house had suddenly morphed into a bouncy castle. I think it's safe for me to assume that things went well.

Qrow watches as his niece springs around the room, rubbing the back of his neck and trying his best not to laugh. As he gives me his full attention, he sinks back into his usual relaxed posture. "

You took your time, kid," he greets, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Let me guess..." he starts, his words drawling as he spots Zwei trotting beside me with his chest puffing out. "Yep. Figured as much." He... keeps his hands stuffed in his pockets. Huh.

I was kind of expecting him to take another shot from his flask but, lo and behold, he keeps it tightly attached to his belt. Then again, he doesn't seem to drink that much whenever he's around Ruby and, to an extent, Yang. Guess he has more self-control than I thought.

"Right," he continues. "You've probably heard it from Ruby already but, she's gonna take over for me." My mentor shrugs. "We weren't exactly getting anywhere so, a different perspective and a different way of thinking might give you a better shot." That's some sound logic but, why do I have the strange feeling there's an 'And' in there somewhere? "And," there it is, "I get to take the afternoon off." He wears that smug grin like a glove. Just as it looks like it's about to stay there permanently, Tai calls out from the kitchen.

"Hey Qrow! If Ruby's going to be helping Eren, you get to wash Zwei!" Just like that, Tai manages to wipe Qrow's haughty smile clean off his face. As he stares down at the cheerful corgi hiding behind my legs, I can quite safely say that Qrow hasn't gotten the best end of the deal.

"Damn it," he grumbles, his posture sagging. I hope I'm hiding my smirk properly.

"Hey! Hey!" Ruby bounds up to me, beaming a gigantic smile. "Let's go! We'd better get started!" As she turns heel towards the door, a sudden spark must've made its way into her mind as she gasps an "Oh!" and immediately spins back into place. "That's right!" She scrambles over her words. I think she has something in mind but, she seems to be struggling to properly put into words. I can hear mumbling something, counting the words with her fingers. "I had an idea. You know how Semblances need specific triggers, right?"

"Y-yes," I answer. Ruby throws an arm up towards the ceiling.

"What if we try figuring it out in a place you're comfortable with? Maybe your Semblance will trigger if you're feeling more relaxed?" I ponder on the idea for a moment.  
"Th-that... sounds good," I say decisively. Ruby gleams at my answer.

"Great!" She pauses for a moment. "So, uh, do you know? The place you feel comfortable in, I mean." A place that I feel comfortable in...

W-well, I know where that place is but, it's... not exactly the most conventional of places.

* * *

Broken hollow branches with multiple knife-shaped holes lay scattered around the forest ground, surrounded by empty rifle rounds and half-buried from snow fallen throughout the night. The west side of the forest hasn't looked any different ever since I started training here by myself.

I always find myself being drawn here. It has a certain feel about it. At night, people would probably find this place haunting and rather frightening. I can understand why: the wind howls something terrible at night. Yet, this place has never really bothered me. I don't know the exact words to describe it but, being here feels rather... mystical. It's quiet, isolating yet, never truly lonely. Honestly, I feel more at home here than I do in the guest room. Hell, I feel better training here than I do the actual training grounds. Somehow, I'd always feel someone's beady eyes crawling up my spine.

I'd much rather train here. At least, when Qrow isn't with me.

"Isn't this where I unlocked your Aura?" Ruby points out. I thought she might've recognised this place, though I wouldn't fault her if she didn't. It has been a few good weeks.

"Y-yes. The exact same," I reply. Her eyes surveying the area as my stomach churns. Just because I find this place comfortable, doesn't mean others will. She'll probably think I'm some kind of weirdo who spends his time lurking in the woods like a freak.

"It's... pretty cold," I wince slightly at her observation. Even I can tell that she doesn't like it. Despite herself, Ruby turns and gives me a smile. "Well, it works for you so I think it's perfect!" That's an odd way of saying, 'You're kind of a creep.' "So!" She suddenly claps her hands, "What did you and Qrow try already?"

Fumbling over my words, I quickly list off everything that Qrow and I tried to find my Semblance so far. Some practical, some... not. I'm still wondering where he got the idea that stepping on a pin would activate my Semblance? Ruby bobs her head with every method I list off without even batting an eye at some at the crazier stuff we've tried. Guess everybody in this household's just used to him being... him.

"Hold on," Ruby interrupts. "You guys haven't tried the obvious one, yet?" Obvious one? _Oh. That one._

 _Invisibility._

I shake my head briskly, "Qrow figured that if it was, it would've shown up by now." Something that I was more than happy to agree with. He didn't exactly want to waste time on something that would've shown up passively in regular conversation when we could've been trying other methods. I'm fairly certain that my Semblance isn't invisibility at this point, and that's just fine with me.

"Rats," Ruby kicks limply at the snow. I suppose things would've been far easier if it was invisibility but, Qrow seemed pretty certain. She quickly bounces back with her fists resting on her hips. "Okay then! We'll just have to do the one thing that you haven't done yet." I tilt my head slightly.

"U-um, which one is that?" She smiles awkwardly, scratching the back of her head as her eyes dart away from me.

"Well, uh, y'know it's... well," her hands hover around one another like she's trying to trap the answer in an invisible box. "...Talking."

"...Huh?" I say blankly. She groans to herself loudly, bumping herself in the head with a single fist.

"No! No! That's not what I meant! I-I meant..." She sighs lightly to herself, looking aside. "You've never really... had a real conversation with any of us."...Actually, come to think of it, I think she's right. I have most definitely talked to them all before but, those talks tend to go either two ways: Either I ask them a question or they tell what to do. Despite the amount of time I spend with Qrow and Tai, I've never really discussed anything with them.

"Y... yeah. I-I think you're right," I acknowledge. My body shivers as I say the words but, it's not quite as severe as I remember it.

"Alright. Lets try it, then!" Ruby's cheer is quickly substituted by silence. I stand expectedly, waiting for Ruby to make the first move yet, her posture doesn't even budge. Is she struggling to think of something to say, or is she looking for me to make the first move? Is that how it works? Seconds pass and neither of say anything, our eyes wandering to the trees. I should say something.

"Um..." I start, looking around for a subject to springboard from. I glance up at the sky, snow trickling down from the sky. "Nice... weather we're having."

"Y-yeah. It's very... snowy. Heh. Heh," she laughs awkwardly, giving me an uneven smile. I repay her with an awkward smile of my own, we might as well be cringing at each other. "Have I... told you about Crescent Rose yet?" Her weapon comes unravelled from her back, the scythe piercing the snow-filled ground.

"Um, yes. You have." Numerous times, actually. Crescent Rose was what we used as the base design for Warbreaker after all. I think Ruby might've realised as she quietly puts her scythe away, coughing into her fist once it's secure on her back.

"R-right. Right..." Silence again. For what feels like an eternity, the only thing either of us can hear is the wind blowing through the bare branches of the surrounding trees. Just then, Ruby chuckles to herself. "We really have no idea what we're doing, do we?" She lowers her head to the ground. I'm inclined to mimic her, laughing in the same manner.

"Hah. No, we don't." Then again, I didn't even do this kind of thing back home. Every single time we'd go to family get togethers, I would just stand at the side and let them talk it out. Ruby lets out a frosty breath.

"How does Yang make this stuff seem so easy?" Doesn't that seem familiar.

"Believe me, I know the feeling, " I say, rolling my eyes. Her eyes spring up to connect with mine. The suddenness causes me to step back slightly, my gaze blinking away from hers.

"You have an older sibling too?" She exclaims. Oh, that's why. She wouldn't know anything about them. The only person that would know that I have any family is Qrow, since he managed to gander a peek before that bet of hours. It looks like he hasn't told any of them. At least, not Ruby anyways. My heartbeat slows back down to normal. It's really not that surprising the more that I think about it.

"Y-yeah. Sister," I reply, rubbing my arm.

"Oh my gosh! We're fellow younger siblings!" For a second, she spreads her arms wide like she's about to hug me. However, after taking a step forward, she promptly stops and lowers them again. Was that reflexive? Eh, doesn't really matter. She steps back into place. "What's her name?"

"L-Louise..." That's... the first time in quite a while that I've been able to say that name. Hah. I-I never realised how much I used to say it until now. Ruby's giving me a look. I-I must've been quiet for too long. Quick, say something else. "S-sometimes, I call her Lulu!" I burst out, far louder than I originally intended. Damn it. Control yourself, you moron.

"Lulu? Why's that?" Ruby queries.

"Because it annoys her like no tomorrow," I answer. The memories flooding into my thoughts. Without even realizing, a fond smile grows onto my face. Hah. I've only been a month away but they seem so, so long ago.

"Eren." Ruby speaks up. Did I go quiet again? I-I seriously need to stop doing that.

"I-I'm okay. Just thinking about a couple things, that's all." I try to dissuade her, like I've done so many times before and like all those times, she gives me the exact same blank face.

"Alright then..." It feels almost routine at this point. The air feels thick that it's almost hard to breath, it's like I'm inhaling smoke. This wouldn't have had to happen if I just kept my emotions to myself.

No. I have no reason to be doing that at all. They won't stay memories. I won't allow it. Beacon. I need to get to Beacon. Find a way home instead of wallowing in bullshit nostalgia, idiot.

"Hey," Ruby speaks up, her tone perking up. "Are we both having a conversation?" I blink twice, the realization hitting me straight in the face. We talked a little about our siblings. Sure, it's not much and the talk was a little off kilter and awkward but, we had a conversational topic. We didn't even notice that it happened, it was all so natural.

"I... I think we are," I comment, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.

"Huh. That's so weird," she remarks just as quickly as her face lights up. "Let's keep going!"

* * *

I think I'm starting to understand how certain portions of my family can talk so much because, once the pair of us started, Ruby and I have been talking for feels like a while now. Every time we finish with a subject, we instantly find something else to bounce the conversation towards. For instance, I never knew that Qrow used to be Ruby's mentor. Apparently, she had to beg him for ages for him to finally train her and that Qrow apparently has a scythe attachment to his weapon that I haven't seen once.

Also, Ruby was apparently quite the klutz when she trained with Qrow. She was always falling all over the place and it seemed like the world was out to get her while she was training. Seems to be a running theme in this family. Weird.

Eventually, we stop to take a breather. My voice is as hoarse and dry as a serial smoker. I can't remember a time in my life that I've talked this much. It's unbelievable.

"Hey, Eren," Ruby says, feet dangling from her branch. "Why do you want to become a Huntsman?" I blink. That's a rather sudden question to ask. I suppose if Yang's curious about where I come from, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that Ruby would want to know a little about why I want to be a Huntsman. She's quite the fangirl as our talk seems to indicate.

"I..." I try to focus on a point but I can only furl my eyebrows. Nothing I come up with seems to cover the scope of reasons why I want to go to Beacon. There's so many for me to go that it'd be downright insanity for me to not even try. Actually, I think that's it. "I've got all the reason in the world to get into Beacon." It sounds vague but, it's simplest way I can put it. It's the truth. "What about you, Ruby? Why do you want to be a Huntress?" I pass the question back to her.

"I want to help people," she says it so simply, without even a hint of hesitation.

"That's it?" She nods.

"Yeah. I've got a few other reasons but, that's the big one," she shrugs her shoulders, looking rather blissful about something. "I want to be someone who fights for what's right. Someone who makes the world a better place..." She looks at me. "Someone who protects people. No matter what." ...I clear my throat. **  
**

"It... sounds like you want to be a hero," I say, fumbling with my hands.

"Yeah! Basically," Ruby cheerfully remarks. "I want to protect people against things they can't protect themselves from, like the Grimm."

"That's..." Stupid? Dangerous? Foolish? No. None of those words fit Ruby at all. "Pretty admirable," I tell her. With a great big toothy grin, she beams at me.

"Thanks! Still got a few years at Signal though. By the time I get to Beacon, you'll be way stronger than I am!" Sorry, I couldn't help but choke out a bitter chuckle.

"I-I wouldn't know about that. You're pretty strong." She might've told me that she was complete crap before Qrow taught her but, nobody with that little talent could do the things I've seen her do. If her year is filled with people at the same skill level as her, I think the world's in safe hands.

"Aw, crud! It's already dark out!" Ruby cries out. I gaze up and the once clear blue sky has made way for the night sky and that strange fractured crescent moon. "I totally forgot about your Semblance! Gah!" Oh. Crap. She's right. I totally forgot about it too! Guh, I'm never going to be allowed to badmouth my family ever again.

"Well, it's not all bad," I say aloud, scratching the back of my neck. "I, um, enjoyed our chat." Ruby jumps down from her perch, landing on her feet with nary an 'Oof!' to speak of.

"Yeah, it was pretty nice. We should talk more often." She shuffles in place."Maybe... at dinner?"

"I'm... not so sure about that, Ruby." Before I can get another word in, Ruby immediately jumps in.

"You wouldn't be bothering anybody! Yang and Dad will be totally okay with it!" She closes the gap between us, leaning as far forward as she can as her lip contorts into a small grimace. She really wants to sit with them? That doesn't make any sense.

"Why?" I ask her "Why would you want me sitting with you? You don't even know me." She looks me straight in the eyes.

"Because I want to. Get to know you, I mean." ...What? "I want to be your friend," she says bluntly. Is... is she being serious? Is she actually being serious? I look back into her eyes. They're the same as last time. S... she's not lying. There's no way. She steps away from me, giving us some much needed distance. "Just, think about it? Please?" She pleads...

"...Yeah," I nod my head. "Okay. I-I'll give it some thought." It's not a guarantee, but it's not a no. I'm still very much on the fence about this. I... I just need a little time to think it over. Thankfully, Ruby doesn't push me for an answer. She simply pulls herself back, her posture relaxing, and lets out a breath she's been holding in for the past half minute.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Eren?"

My mind snaps back to reality. Taiyang is standing right in front of me hold a piping hot dinner plate in his hands. Blinking myself out of my stupor, I gently take the plate out of his hands. Just like I always have before.

"Th-thank you," I say, bowing my head slightly.

"Are you okay? You seem a little out of it tonight," he says, brow creasing. I shuffle my feet together, staring deeply into my dinner plate if only just to not look him in the eye. I've done so many times before but, not today. Not tonight.

"I-It's nothing," I answer, my voice barely any louder than a murmur. It's as powerful as a light breeze but that's the strongest I can muster without flat out screaming it. Taiyang gives me a look. A single, solitary look. I can't get a read on them, on what he's trying to do. It's like he's trying to dig something out of my eyes, I avert them further.

"...Alright. You know you can always talk to me if there's anything bothering you," he says finally. I let out a small gasp under my breath, quiet enough that only a bat would be able to hear me.

"R-right," I reply, bobbing my head. "Thank you, sir."

"I'll leave you to it, then," he says softly. He turns his head, tending to his own dinner portion. I turn around to make my way towards the door, like I always have before. My ears fidget, ready for the part that comes next.

"Later Eren," waves Yang who dives into her meal with fiery gusto. I wait for the next part to come but... nothing happens. My body halts right before I'm out the door. She's off-beat. Even when she stuffs her mouth full of food, she's never been off-beat before. A chair screeches, scraping against the floor. I hear her begin to form words but she cuts herself off before she can even start. I don't turn around. I just wait.

"Bye, Eren," she speaks, finally and uncharacteristically dour. Without turning around, I give her my answer.

"Bye, Ruby." Without another word, I leave the kitchen and the rest of the family. Shockingly, by the time I reach the stairs, none of them spoke up. There isn't any question: any explanations, any chattering, laughter or anything. It's silent. I suck in a breath. My decision is final. Things will go right back to normal and Ruby will never ask me to sit with them again. She... she might even hate me for this but, this is the right decision. I know it is. This is the right thing to do.

Isn't it?

I stop, making it no further than the third step of the stairs. I peer up, the very top shrouded in darkness. My right flinches, ready to continue my journey to the top but, it refuses to move any further. Admitting defeat, I let out a palpable sigh as I lean my back against the wall.

What the hell **am** I doing? Is this what I want? To eat dinner by myself everyday? In **that** room?

 _That's not my table._

Am I supposed to eat at the same table my entire life? Am I just going to eat off the floor until I find the way back home?

 _I'm doing the right thing._

Am I? Or am I just saying that to make myself feel better?

 _I'm a stranger. They don't want me there._

Am I? Qrow's my mentor. Tai teaches me how cook.

Yang gave me her number. Ruby... Ruby wants to be my friend. Nobody has ever asked me to be their friend, not since Primary School.

And I'm just about to throw it back in her face. She's not a stranger. None of are strangers. Not to me, not anymore.

Sitting down, I lay the dinner plate on my lap and I slip my hand into my back pocket, taking out the Scroll Qrow bought me. I open it up, swiping right back to the contacts tab where Yang's details still resided. Tapping onto the message function, I'm greeted once again by that damn message. Thankfully, this'll be the last time I'll need to read that. My fingers are trembling, I'm constantly deleting and retyping every idea for a first message. Finally, I settle on one. I take a breath, exhaling slowly through my nose.

Once I send this, there's no going back. One way or another, things won't be the same between me and them. Am I sure about this?

Yes. It's the one I've wanted to make this entire time. I click on the send button. I hear Yang's Scroll blare, the cluttering of cutlery to plate. I can just barely make out Taiyang asking if it's 'One of her friends.' She opens her Scroll and the message is sure to read clearly.

'Can I please sit with you?'

"Ruby," she says, more than likely showing her the same message. I hear the table jolt slightly, the assortment clanking together. That's step one, now for the hard part. I step out from behind the kitchen door, dinner in hand and lowering my head sheepishly. Ruby's the first to notice me, gasping and giving me a smile that I don't deserve. Yang notices me next without gasping like Ruby, did she hear me coming? Finally, Taiyang catches sight of me and turns his head around towards the door.

"Eren?" He exclaims. His words cause me to further lower my head. "What's wrong?" This is it. I sent a text message, now I have to say it for real in front of everybody. I gulp, sweat starting to ooze from my forehead.

"A-ah... Can..." I start, choking on my own saliva. Their eyes are on me, watching me, judging every move I make. Every disjointed movement, every word I fumble on. I'm making a fool out of myself. "Can I..." N-no. I have to keep pushing. I want this. I know I want this. I can't keep holding myself back. I open my mouth once more, "Can I si-"

The chair in front of me bounds forward, almost causing me to drop my plate. Somehow, the chair was pushed with the right amount of might that it doesn't tip over. I look across at the person opposite: Yang. With an arm wrapped around the back of her chair, she nods her head towards the seat. She wants me to sit with them. They all want me to sit with them.

"Thank you," I place my plate down on the table.

"Don't mention it," she replies. I sit down in the chair, nudging forward towards the table.

Well, here I am. I'm sitting at the table. From the other side, Ruby is beaming at me. I repay her with a small smile of my own. From my left, my shoulder surges as Tai gives me a small welcoming pat. From below, I hear the pitter-patter of paws as Zwei lies himself down by my legs. I wasn't eating by myself anymore.

It's been a full month since the incident. A day hasn't gone by without me yearning to return home again. Make no mistake, that hasn't changed. I will find a way home. No matter what.

But, as I take a bite out of my mash potato and embrace its sweetness, I think that I'm going to be okay here.

It's okay for me to enjoy this, right?

"Hey Eren?" Ruby pipes up. "Aren't you going to take your hoodie off?" Oh. That's right. I-I still have it on...

You know what? I think I'll be fine taking it off. Just this one time.

* * *

 **A/N:** I think I'm noticing a running theme when I start planning my chapters. I plan the key points: I think that they're going to be very short: I start coming up with more ideas halfway through writing, I add them into the story, boom. Short chapter that should've taken less than a week ends up taking more than two.

Clearly, I am the greatest writer on the face on the planet. The next chapter's going to have so much happening in it too. Ugh. Well, at least the Yang and Ruby chapters seem more equal now. Also, I've effectively debunking Invisibility as Eren's Semblance. It seemed too obvious and it's already been done. I'd rather go for something a little more creative. Also, I'd be really interested to hear what you guys think Eren's semblance is going to be. It is based on something from his personality though, that trait may or may not have been shown yet.

So, what did you think of this chapter and the story so far? Good? Bad? Made you blind from reading it? Be sure to leave a review! Contructive criticism is encouraged.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - The Entrance Exam**

Sniffing. Whiskers tickle my skin. I stir but only to clench my covers tighter. The sniffing intensifies as an extra weight presses lightly on my chest. I feel a horrid breath, heaving in and out with the putrid smell of dog food growing closer, closer, closer and...

Lick. Right on my nose.

"Gah!" I yelp, shooting up from my bed completely wide awake. Oh god. The smell's reeking through my nostrils now! I glare down at the small corgi, waggling his tongue on my lap. "Zwei," I start, picking up my Scroll from the bedside table to check the time. "...You're early." Fifteen minutes early to be exact. I asked him to come wake me up if my alarm failed to go off this morning, a little extra assurance to make sure I would absolutely be up and about for today. When I say 'Wake up,' licking me on the nose wasn't what I had in mind.

"Arf!" He barks, wagging his tail at me with his beady little eyes. I can't help but sigh, patting his adorable head tenderly.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" He answers by licking my hand again. With his job done, Zwei jumps down from my bed and waddles out the open door. I really need to figure out how he does that one of these days.

As I stretch my ragged body out, letting out a huge yawn as I do, a few strands my hair slump down in front of my eyes. Furling my eyebrows, I twirl the long strands of hair in my fingers. Looks like I'll need another haircut soon. Thank god I'm not being tested by my appearance.

Thin beams of light scatter through the blinds. Manoeuvring myself over to the curtains, I grab both sides and fling them both apart, shutting my eyes as a large ray of sunlight almost blinds me. Slowly forcing them open, I look out to see the bright colourful weather.

Green leaves: green grass, a blue sky, a burning yellow sun, sunflowers, daisies and flowers of all kinds of variety scattered across the plane. The white snow had long melted away and the dead branches have been replenished and renewed with a new sense of vigour I haven't seen in far too long.

Winter has finally past. Spring is here and with it, the day I've been training and yearning for the last six months. Today is the day that I take the first step towards finding the way home.

Today is the day of the Beacon Entrance Exam.

* * *

Stepping out into the Spring sunlight, my eyes immediately latch onto a pair of blondes loading bags onto the back of a motorcycle. My smile grows as I listen to the two of them talk.

"You've checked the tires, right?" Tai asks, prodding the back tire with the butt of his boot like they're about to spontaneously combust.

"I refitted them last night. They're brand new. It's cool. I've got it covered," Yang replies as she ties her last bag onto the back with all the rest. Tai squints his eyes, tilting his head around the tires, analysing them for any holes or marks. He hums, biting his bottom lip.

"Might want to check them again. Just in-case." Yang sighs and rolls her eyes but she kneels down and starts tinkering with the tires just like her father suggests. I didn't see either of them earlier so, they must've come out here while I was doing my own preparations. As I close the front door behind me, Tai looks over his shoulder, catching sight and greeting me with a raised hand.

"Morning, Eren!" He calls out to me. Yang halts in her reassessment of Bumblebee and meets me with her face alight.

"Hey! Morning!" She cheers. I offer them both a smile on my approach.

"Good morning," I say softly. Tai rests a fist on his side.

"You all prepped for the exam?" Well, I have checked about thirty-six times already but, one more check's not going to hurt anybody. Alright: I tap on Warbreaker, my rucksack, my ammo bag, my hoodie, shirt, jeans and finally, gloves. Everything still seems to be here.

"Yep. I'm all ready to go," I nod back to him.

"Great! It's good to be prepared," he nods back at me. The Entrance Exams across all four kingdoms tend to be very long and draining: physically and emotionally. We don't know exactly when it's going to end per say but, having a few extra supplies on hand might come in handy. We are given breaks inbetween examinations. The examiners will want us to be in prime shape for each criteria they'll be marking us on. Yang stands up from her spot, dusting her gloves off and scoffing lightly.

"I didn't know we were going mountain climbing for our exam," she nudges her head towards the bundle of bags before settling on Tai. "I'm done checking, by the way. Like I told you, it's fine," she folds her arms. Well, if she says good, then I think the bike's okay. In the times that I've spent riding with her, we've only suffered a breakdown once and that was only because she was going especially fast that day. Beyond her fast, even.

"Hm..." Tai looks towards the bike once more, shaking his head a tad. "Let me give it one last check." Yang groans loudly, falling limply back on her bike like a corpse. "It won't take more than a minute. I might notice some things that you didn't. Better safe than sorry. You don't want to be late because of a burst tire."

"Seriously?" Yang straightens up, shaking her head and turning her attention to me. "If there's anything that's going to make us late, it won't be the tires. It's going to be my Dad," she thumbs in his direction. I don't speak, I don't need any this time. I give her a bemused smile before shrugging my shoulders. It's just how Tai is. He's always been like that with his daughters. Once he gets going, there's nobody that's going to stop him.

"I wouldn't worry. You'll find a way to get us to the boat on time," I tell her. If anything, having the odds stacked against her will just fire her up more. I think she'd enjoy the challenge. With her at the wheel, I'm not too worried.

"Eh. True. I just want to get on the road already," she eyes the path restlessly. "Though," she returns to me again with a smile. "You're holding up pretty well. I thought you'd be freaking about right about now." Well, I wouldn't blame her for thinking that way. I thought I'd be running myself into the dirt considering how little I slept last night but I think... Oh, right. I should probably say it.

"I think it hasn't quite hit me yet," I admit, burying my hands into my pockets. "I dunno. It still feels like any other morning right now." I shrug. It'll probably start to sink in once we're in Vale.

"Yeah, I gotcha. I feel weird waking up in the morning now. I keep thinking that I'm late for Signal," she rolls her shoulders back. She's been learning how to fight from that Academy long before she ever met me. She's been so used to that kind of routine, that way of living for so long and now she's finished with it. Still, she seems perfectly fine with moving on. That much I can't relate with. "Still," she begins, looking down at her new attire. "I've got the new dreads and..." She flexes playfully, grinning to herself. "I am looking pretty damn good."

I giggle lightly. If anybody other than Yang told me that, I'd think them arrogant. However: her new brown jacket, the yellow crop top underneath it, the skirt with the mini-shorts, it all looks really good on her. The only thing she's wearing that I recognise -besides Ember Celica- is her MMA gloves. Everything else is brand new.

Though... it does seem a little, um, risque? I-I mean, Ruby has mentioned her sister's personal tastes before but, w-well...

I avert my eyes slightly. Best not to think about it. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

"Alright. Everything seems to be okay!" Tai announces. Yang huffs.

"Finally," she grumbles. Tai doesn't react to it, moving around to stand next to us as he clears his throat.

"Now, you've got water?" He asks Yang, listing with his fingers.

"Yes," she sighs.

"You've got snacks?" He asks again.

"Yes," she grits.

"You know where you're going?" Again.

"Dad," she tries to interrupt but Tai keeps marking.

"You know what boat you're catching?" Again.

"Dad-"

"You know what time you're to be there for? You know which roads to take? What you'll take to get back? What abou-"

" _Dad!"_ Yang finally, and powerfully, stops him in his tracks. "I've got it. I know what I'm doing. You don't have to worry about me." Tai posture stiffens briefly before smoothing out, his shoulders slumping.

"No. I suppose I don't," he says, rubbing the side of his neck. "It's... a very hard habit to break." Yang blinks at him, probably expecting another comeback rather than his sheer honesty. Regardless, her face softens as she offers him a smile.

"C'mere you big lug," she murmurs before hugging her father who returns it without delay. "I'll be fine."

"I know. I know. You're a big girl now. You can take care of yourself," he replies, almost muffled by his daughters gigantic blonde hair. "You'll do great. I know you will." He turns his gaze towards me. "Both of you will." My cheeks redden slightly. There was really no need to involve me in that. I might've stayed with them for six months but Yang is still his daughter. I wouldn't have been offended if he missed me out.

Still, it does feel nice to be included.

"Now," he breaks the hug, clearing his throat as he does. "I've kept you two for too long. You've both got a boat to catch."

"Yes!" Yang cheers, jumping over her bike full of vigour. She chucks over my blue helmet in my direction. "Come on, Eren!" She clips in her own yellow helmet, throwing her leg over Bumblebee. "Ain't no time like the present!"

"Right!" I nod, tightening the helmet's clasp and dropping my rucksack onto the back. As I board the motorbike, I have to take in a deep breath as I wrap my arms firmly around her waist. The intense ride's never been the hard part of being Yang's riding buddy.

I start to settle into my seat when, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Tai's arm is shaking. Again. He always does this when I'm riding with Yang.

"U-um," I stutter, trying my absolute best not to tremble. "T-Tai? S-sir? A-a-are you okay?" He smiles but, is it just me or does it seem rather... forced?

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Just fine," he bites out the last word, holding his arm in a vice grip. "You two better get going or you're going to miss your boat." He's gripping his arm rather... menacingly. M-must just be a nervous tic! Yeah! T-t-that's it! Just a nervous tic!

"Okay, Dad. Love you. Bye!" Yang yells out, revving the engines as the bike launches forward across the path. Thank god. We're finally on the move... Oh god. I hope this doesn't make his... nervous tic worse.

Better stop thinking about it. It's easier that way.

* * *

The boat sways and clunks as it docks into port. A few muted bellows emit from the crew on top to the ones outside securing the boat. Any second now, the door will fall and Yang will drive us to our exam destination: into the Kingdom of Vale.

My nerves haven't seized up quite yet like I feared. I feel more giddy than nervous, really. I've never been to Vale before. Never needed to. Everything I ever required, I bought from Patch. It was far easier to hitch a fifteen -five in Yang's case- minute ride with Yang or Tai than it was to do so anyway then grab a boat to Vale. Now that I have a proper reason, I'll finally see the much talked about Kingdom first hand.

With a booming lock, the door begins to fall and sharp rays of light begin to peel away the dark catacombs of the bomb's vehicle containment. Eyes seized on the road in front of us, Yang twists her hand and the engine roars. I hold on tightly as, without a care in the world, Yang drives full throttle out of the boat. Due to the striking sunlight, I shut my eyes as my driver continues to drive forward into the unknown.

Slowly, I pry my eyes open. I turn my head and...

Wow. I can see why they call this place a Kingdom now. We're only on the outskirts but this place is gigantic. Everything about is gigantic. Swarms of people swamping the streets, buildings gargantuan enough that they could make up three cities all by themselves, there are dozens of cars whizzing past at such a rate that my ears are guzzling wind! I've never been anywhere that felt quite as titanic as this before. This makes Glasgow and Edinburgh look like Ayr! As we race through the motorway, Yang bobbing and weaving between cars, a green hue sticks out from beyond the horizon, blending deeply against the sky.

"Yang?" I almost hurt my throat shouting against the wind. "What's that green light over there?" She doesn't turn around but, she quickly catches onto what I'm talking about.

"The tower? That's Beacon Academy!" I blink twice.

" _That's_ Beacon?!" I exclaim. I knew it'd be a memorable sight but, I was expecting it to be closer to the middle. From here, it looks like it'd fit in with a mountain range.

"Yep! It's a bit far out so you can't see all of it. You'd need to grab an airship in order to get there." Her eyes don't leave the road but she does turn her head smile so I can see her bright smile. "Don't worry. We'll see it eventually." My jaw drops slightly but I'm quick to pick it up and look away. She's probably just saying that. Don't get a big head, stupid.

Eventually, Bumblebee skids to a halt right in front of a large build. Anywhere else, it'd be fit for a capital building but here, it's where it'll be decided whether or not I'm truly among the 'Best of the best.'

Jeez, even just thinking that feels... arrogant. It's just a fickle title, I'm sure. I only need to scrape the bottom of the forty. Being the absolute best with only six months training is pure insanity. Suddenly, I feel a small nudge from Yang.

"You alright?" She asks me. "You're staring." Have I? I must've been lost in thought again. Bleh. I better not start doing that during the exam or I'm screwed. I nod lightly.

"Don't worry. I'm alright," I reply with a polite smile. The realization still hasn't struck me yet. I can't tell if I should be thankful or worried. "What about you? How are you feeling, Yang?" I already know what she's going to say but, I thought that it'd be worth asking.

"Psssh. I'm cool. This exam's going to be nothing," she grins with a fierce glint in her eyes, knocking her fists together. "I just have to show the examiners how much butt I kick. I do that practically every day." I giggle again. That's Yang for you. Honestly, if I had even a sliver of her confidence, I'd think that I could conquer the world. Without saying another word, I look towards the building.

Right. All I need to do is show them how much I've learned. If Qrow can turn Ruby into a badass Grimm killing machine at fifteen, then surely he can pass on just a small portion of that to me in six months. I nod to myself. Okay. I just have to keep telling myself: I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I won't get wound up. I will earn my place into Beacon.

I will.

* * *

A crushing weight chokes my throat. In a single instant, my lungs have been sucked dry of air and the whirlpool of anxiety I've been dreading all morning hits me like the gravity of the planet's increased sevenfold. I blink again, naively hoping that they'll all disappear as soon as I open them again. I can only be so lucky. In front of us, in the hall we've been told to congregate to, are the other participants.

There's a lot of them. Far more than I even considered. They're filling this place to the brim, I can't even see the floor. Any more and it feels like this building will burst. I can only stand here, slack-jawed and paralysed. This is too much. Far, far too much. There has to be at least a hundred people here. At least.

I can't understate just how bad this is for my chances. The more people there are here, the more likely that they're going to picked for the forty places over me. Hell, if they're all just as strong, Yang's going to struggle earning a place too!

Yang. I look over to see her reaction.

"Huh. Whaddya know. This place wasn't big enough after all," she just shrugs. I... can only chuckle to myself, the stress cooling slightly. She doesn't even bat an eye at the other applicants. That's so her. "What's up?" She asks, "Did you think of a joke or something?" I shake my head.

"Nope," I reply with a smile. "I was just wondering how we're going to find a spot." I'm not really lying, technically. That has been on my mind too. We need to find a place to stand for when they're going to explain how the exam works. Yang scrunches her face up as we both look out over the engrossing crowd. Finally, with a glint in her eye, she smirks at me.

"I've got this. Follow me," she says, swaggering towards the crowd. Swallowing, I fidget around with Warbreaker on my back and then silently follow after her. Before she can even reach the edge of the crowd, people begin to take notice and move aside for her. She turns around, waving me forward. "Come on!" She strides further into the crowd. As I pass them by, I hunch my head down, daring not to meet anybody's gaze. I keep my focus on Yang's back as she paves the way for us.

"Here we are!" Yang proclaims as we a small space near the far wall. It's not exactly the most spacious place in the world but, we have a wall to lean on and it beats being right in the midst of this chaos. Being in here feels so... claustrophobic. And noisy. Very noisy. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of a football crowd who won't stop chanting obnoxiously. Just substitute chanting in unison with blithering chattering. Well, at least I'm not alone in this place. Yang prompts herself against the wall with her arms folded. I do the same, stuffing my hands into my pockets. Now all we can do is wait...

After a short time passes, with a few start-and-stop conversations between Yang and I in-between, a large burly man flanked by a series of unique yet strict looking teachers make their way up to the podium. Holding the mic closer to his face, the burly man clears his throat.

"Settle down. Settle down," he beckons. Surprisingly, without even needing to raise his voice, the echoes of chatter begin to fade away as the hall slowly seeps into silence. "Good. Now, there's a lot we need to get through today so, I'm going to quickly explain how this exam is going to work. You will each be assessed on six different categories: Strength, Endurance, Semblance, Skill, Agility and, Aura." My heart sinks. They've given Semblance its own category. I thought they were going to lob it in with Aura testing. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

I still haven't found my Semblance yet. Six months and I have nothing to show them. What the hell am I going to do?!

"During each assessment, the examiners behind will judge you on your performance and mark you appropriately. These marks will go towards your transcript which will be sent to the higher-ups at Beacon Academy. From there, they will read them and carefully select the forty applicants that will be invited to study to become fully-fledged Huntsman and Huntresses," he takes a breath. I don't blame him. Hearing the odds once again isn't doing well for my heart. I put my hand to my chest. Calm down. Calm. Calm it.

It's fine. It's fine. Remember what Qrow said: This exam is all about discovering your strengths and weaknesses. I'm not going to perfect it. I just have to make sure that when it comes to the right category, I perform to my absolute best. Right. That's right. I'm okay. I'm still okay...

The man's about to say something else when suddenly, the examiner on the furthest right end of the stage looks offstage and jumps in her chair. With the entire hall in silence, all we can hear is the sound of footsteps and a single repeating knocking sound emanating from behind the curtains. The man and the rest of the examiners jolt, turning around towards the sound. Whispers start to sprout out from the rest of the crowd. The man calls out cautiously.

"Excuse me? We're in the middle of a debrief right now. You're not supposed to be in here." A cane sticks out from behind the curtain. All of a sudden, the man's eyes bulge out of his skull and his throat is clogged up. The figure appears from behind the curtain.

It's a tall, lanky middle-aged man with silver-hair wielding what looks to be some sort of cane. As soon as he shows himself, there's a huge gasp as the room erupts into muddled murmurs. Even Yang lets out a small 'Woah.' I lean closer to her.

"Who is he?" I whisper. She stares back at me.

"That guy's Professor Ozpin. He's the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." That's the headmaster? What's he doing here then? Aren't the fourth year's were graduating soon? I thought he'd be busy with that. The point of the transcript system was so he could evaluate us without needing to be at the exam, wasn't it?

Wait a second. The headmaster's here. A-a-at my exam. Meaning...

He's going to observe us?! Oh. Oh please no. It's bad enough that there's a Semblance section, I don't need him being there to watch me royally bugger it all up!

"Don't mind me," Ozpin waves the man off. "Pretend I'm not even here." He splutters slightly but, the burly man straightens himself and turns his attention back to us.

"Right! So! Due to there being a lot of you this year, we're going to be splitting you all up into six groups," he announces. "Each group will start at a separate category and will rotate so that every group will have completed each exam in due time. Upon registering on your way in today, you've been assigned a random number from one to six to your Scroll. That number will designate you to an exam hall and the category you'll be tested on first. Follow the directions to your hall strictly and remember!" His tone turns firm.

"You're all accomplished fighters. Act sensibly and no fooling around. Remember what's on the line here. Any funny business will result in your immediate removal from the exam. Understood?" None of us offer him a rebuttal. "Dismissed. And good luck."

As the man turns around, walking to the back alongside the Headmaster, the crowd buzzes back to life as it did before. Sinking into my pocket, I take out and open my Scroll. My number's clear on my screen. Five. That means we start at... Agility first. Okay. That's not too bad. I can deal with that.

"Eren. What's your number?" Yang queries.

"I got five. What did you get?" Her face lights up.

"I got five too! We're in the same group! Aw yeah!" She fist pumps. Wow. We did! We're both in the same group! Hell yeah! One in six chance can suck it!

I didn't say that out loud, did I? Yang hasn't reacted to it so... I think I'm good. Phew. That would've been mortifying.

"Come on! Let's go ace this thing!" Yang cheers. I'm more than happy to agree.

"Yeah!" I cheer with her. The odds might be stacked against me but, I can do it.

We can do it.

* * *

First up is the Agility test.

The goal for this test is pretty simple. Reach the end of the obstacle course, dodging the obstacles as we go, and reach the end in the fastest time possible utilizing everything at our disposal in order to do. However, while we are allowed to use our weapons, marks will be deducted for excessive damage to the equipment.

We're to think of it somewhat like a defence scenario. Say an army of Grimm start attacking a village or a town, we're to make our way over to the point in order to fend them off. We wouldn't exactly be defending the town very well if we destroyed it doing so. Not that I have the firepower to accomplish such a feat. I'm carrying an assault rifle, not an RPG.

Before we start, I notice another figure up above with the rest of the examiners. While the examiners I see here are almost completely different from the ones I saw back during the debrief, there's one among them who is far important for me not to recall.

Professor Ozpin.

I grit my teeth. Crap. I'm not surprised at all that he's here to watch the proceedings, there'd be many questions that would need answering if that weren't the case, but the fact that he chose my group out of all of them to watch is just bad luck.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head clear. It's okay. It's alright. I just have to keep my focus.

The test begins in a flurry, every single one of us charging off the starting line like our very lives are at risk. I keep my eyes straight and my thoughts firmly on the goal. I haven't been finding the obstacles particularly difficult to work around per say but, every time I successfully manage to avoid an obstacle, someone always passes me through the use of their weapon's special feature. Unfortunately for me, mobility never crossed my mind when crafting Warbreaker. It was meant to be used as a gun and nothing more; the bayonet was added purely because I heard that most Huntsman weapons have close-range as well as long-range capabilities in some form or another.

As such, I have to complete the test purely on my own ability.

Luckily enough, as I pass the finishing line, less than half the group had finished before me. Better than average might not be that impressive but, for someone who didn't have a weapon or a Semblance to fall back on, I don't think I did too badly. Of course, that doesn't stop me from collapsing to my knees and soaking the floor in sweat. I hear somebody else running up to the finishing line and I feel a clap on my back.

"Woah. You okay?" Yang asks. I can barely lift my head up to meet her. I think about saying something but my mouth is so dry that I think it'll fall off if I try. Thank god we've got a break before the next test.

One down. Five to go.

* * *

Next up is the Aura Test.

Compared to the last test, this one's more of a demonstration than anything else. The entire focus of this test is to see how developed our Aura is. Since Aura has some very diverse capabilities, both in how it's used offensively and defensively, our Aura levels have been monitored and we've to show how much control we have over it. It's here that I've learned the reason why Aura and Semblance have been split into different categories.

With the demonstrations we perform here, we're putting pressure on our Aura levels and we slowly start to drain them. Due to how extensive this exam is, this can leave certain fighters dry of the necessary Aura they require to pull off their Semblance. As I've learned well in the past, Semblances are unique and they work differently from person to person. Some people may need all of their Aura for some big explosive attack or something.

It's better to do the tests separately and give our Aura time to recover. Well, everybody else's anyway. I... I'll worry about that later. For now, I should, um, keep focus.

My test so far has been... alright? I suppose? I've been told that my Aura level is decent enough. I can take a hit. Well, my Aura can take a hit anyway. As far as how I use my Aura goes, I haven't been able to do anything impressive. I'm able to shift the Aura in my body, strengthening certain points at the expense of others, but the examiners haven't given me so much as a nod for my performance. I can only sigh a little. I could've done a little better on this one.

I look over to Yang, arms wrapped around her head and eyes blinking dully at the ceiling. The examiner doesn't pay her much mind either and quickly moves onto the next fighter. Seems like she didn't do much better than I did.

Still, if her humming is anything to go by, she doesn't seem too bothered by it. I don't blame her. I see that sly little smirk on her face. She knows exactly what test is up next.

* * *

The Strength Test.

This one isn't particularly complex. It's mostly just a show of our natural strength without the use of our weaponry. Punching machines, weights and other devices scatter the hall with fighters lining up to test their might at each station.

With a hint of hesitation, I step up to take my shot at one of the punching machines. Right next to the padding I'm supposed to punch is a screen that'll display the calculation of the punch's power. Readying myself, I suck in my breath, pull my fist back and throw a punch. The machine barely even makes a noise. I look up at the screen, the numbers jumbling wildly until they finally settle on a score.

Nineteen.

I don't need the snickering from the other fighters behind me to tell that this wasn't a good score in the slightest. I tune out the snarky comments thrown my face, hiding my red face behind my hood as I walk away. I can still hear their laughter as I take my place on the side-lines. It's not like I was expecting a good score or anything. I mean, look at me: I'm five foot five, I weigh less than nothing, and I have snapped twigs for arms. This wasn't going to be my round.

Now, as for whose round it really is, I catch an audacious wink from Yang at her station as she puts her fists up. My head perks slightly. What is she-

" **Hyaaaaaah!** " She roars, slamming her fist into the machine with the power of a thousand freight trains! The machine doesn't hold up against the attack, soaring high and crashing tremendously into the back wall. Bits and pieces of machinery crumble as what remains of the machine starts falling apart. None of us even had the time to see the number she scored. Hell, she wasn't even using Ember Celica this time! I put a hand up to my mouth, both to stop myself from shrieking and from laughing my head off.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I gasp at her as she stands right next to me with the biggest grin on her face.

"Hey. They told me to hit it as hard as I could," she shrugs.

"That was so risky of you, Yang," I reprimand half-heartedly.

"That," she watches on as members of staff start surrounding the broken punching machine. "Is what's going to make me stand out."

Well, she's not wrong. With that single punch, every single pair of eyes in the room are staring at her. Completely dumbstruck. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Next on the rotation is the Endurance test.

This one's surprisingly easy for me to sum up. It's oddly familiar to a fitness test routine we used to do back in highschool. Back then, we were to run from one end of the gym to another. The teachers would have this CD playing that would beep in certain intervals. If we weren't at the other end of the gym by sound of the beep, you were eliminated. It's a test that makes you pace yourself as well as test your stamina.

I hated that test, and I loathe this one. The size of the hall is gigantic meaning that I'm practically full-blown sprinting from one to the other. My legs are numb: nobody else has been eliminated so far, and I feel like I'm about to hurl blood. I'm running myself ragged here. I can't keep this up much longer.

Beep.

I tap the wall, making the tone by the skin of my teeth. I swallow down the bare saliva on my dusty tongue, leaning against the wall to stop from outright collapsing. Everybody else has already continued running. I push myself off, throwing myself down the hall like a lifeless doll. I might as well be walking with stilts right now.

Some part of me thinks, hopes out of pure naive optimism that I'll make it but I'm barely hallway down the hall before my body forces me to stop.

That's it. This is as far as I can go.

I'm done.

Beep.

"Candidate one, one five. You're eliminated," calls one of the examiners. I shake my head, stumbling to the side-lines. The only solace I have is that I'm only the fourth applicant out. Yeah. Real great consolation prize. Qrow really was dealing was a lost cause, huh?

I sit myself down, watching as Yang continues to run with a fierce look on her face. I smile slightly. At least she'll be alright.

...The Semblance Test is next. After this piss-poor performance, I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do for that test. If I understand it correctly, it's a full physical demonstration of what your Semblance is, what it can do and how experienced you are with it. I can't do any of those things. What am I going to do? If it's one by one, I wouldn't even be graced with the indignity of simply being passed by. I ruffle my hair, sighing loudly to myself. There's only one thing I can do at this point...

I have to tell them the truth.

* * *

The proctor ushers me into the hall. After waiting with trembling, feeling the ground rumble from time to time, it's now my turn, even if I desperately didn't want it to be so.

I choke slightly as I walk into the hall. The place is a mess: craters everywhere, pieces of the floor that had been embedded into the walls and most prominently, a burnt spot in the middle that's still smouldering steam. This had been the result of the previous fighters who took this test before me. All of their Semblances were probably very impressive and dynamic. To go from that and then to somebody who hasn't found theirs yet... My shoulders are quaking.

What I see as I look up at the examiners makes it worse. Far worse. Standing right next to them with a piping hot mug of coffee in his hand is Professor Ozpin. I'm left agape. He hasn't moved onto the other groups. He's been focusing on our group the entire time! I bite my lip so hard that without my Aura, it would be bleeding.

"So, Eren... Liddell, is it?" One of the examiners addresses me, looking down from her Scroll with an eyebrow raised. "Am I pronouncing that correctly?" I swallow slightly, gazing down at the ground.

"Y... yes," I answer quietly.

"I'm sorry?" Her tone is sharp but it's not necessarily harsh. "We couldn't quite hear you. Could you speak up?" Damn it. I'm still shaking. I clear my throat.

"Y-yes, Miss," I repeat a little louder. She acknowledges with a nod.

"Ah. Good. Now then, what is your Semblance?" My mouth opens... but nothing comes through. I try and force myself to speak but, the only thing that comes out of my throat is a horrible coughing that makes it sound like I'm being strangled. "Mister Liddell? What is your Semblance?" She repeats herself, stronger than the last. My skin feels like it's swelling. I'm burning up. This is worse than that cold I suffered during the Winter.

"I don't..." My lips form but the words are soundless. I can't do it. I can't for the life of me say it.

"Mister Liddell," she settles the Scroll down. "We have several more students we need to test today. We're running behind as it is. Would you please stop delaying and tell us what your Semblance is?" The blood in my veins turn cold. Her words are like daggers, razor sharp and emotionally fatal. I take another glance at the headmaster. I exhale again. I stand up straighter, saying the dreaded words as loud as I can.

"I... I don't know what my Semblance is." Silence. The examiners stare at each other, murmuring amongst themselves. Clicking her tongue, the first examiner massages the bridge of her nose.

"Very well." She picks up her Scroll. "You may leave. Someone send in the next one."

That's it. There's no coming back from this one. Whatever chance I had at this start of this damn exam have just been thrown out the window. I trudge back out the hall, my eyes staring blankly at the floor.

Home has never felt so far away before...

* * *

As the final test for our group rages on, I find myself sitting with my back hunched against the wall, cradling Warbreaker in my arms.

The Skill exam is, much like the Semblance exam, a demonstration of our combat styles. From that perspective, I suppose you could call it the 'Overall Ability,' exam. It's the one that people usually do the best in and Qrow had even planned for it to be the one where I show off 'What I can truly do...'

Too bad it doesn't matter how well I do in this one, there's no way I can come back after that disaster in the Semblance test. I knew it was going to be bad when I walked in there but, that was... somehow even worse. I let out another sigh as I bump my head against the wall. Yang's in there right now, doing the absolute best she can. I didn't really talk to her all that much about it. She's got her hands full dealing with this exam herself, I shouldn't haul my problems onto her. It's not right.

"Woo! Now, _that_ was a workout!" Yang bounds through the door, stretching her arms out. Using the wall as leverage, I push myself up to meet her.

"Went well, then?" I query. It's not like I didn't know the answer but, it's polite to ask nevertheless. Yang grins wildly at me.

"Couldn't have gone any better. Seriously. The only thing that could've made it better if they used real Grimm instead of targets." I giggle lightly at that. The moment she gets into Beacon, the Grimm will definitely have something to fear.

"Eren Liddell?" One of the proctors peeks his head around the door, calling out rather loudly.

"U-um... H-here!" I say softly, meekly raising my hand to gain his attention.

"You're next up. This way," he says, holding the door open for me. Well... better go get this over with. It's not like I can do any worse. Before I pass her however, Yang puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

"Eren," she starts, her tone devoid of the normal carefree spirit I've been so used to. "When you get in there, tell them to double the speed of the targets." My eyes widen, enough that Yang immediately picks up on it. "Trust me on this one. Do what you normally do and you'll be fine," she finishes by flashing me a smile and patting me on the shoulder. "We'll go grab some grub once you're finished. Go knock 'em dead!" Without another word, Yang walks past me towards the entrance. I stand there, dumbstruck. Did she...

I shake my head, trying my best to hold back a sneaky smile. I really am easy to read, aren't I?

Without another word, I trail after the proctor, finding myself standing in front of another set of examiners. Once again, the Headmaster is among them with another mug in his hand. The examiner in the middle asks me how my weapon works so, I clumsily give them the best description of the gun the best I can. I can't speak Ruby but, Warbreaker has a pretty simple design. I don't have to be the best talker in the world to tell people how it works.

"Alright then," the examiner jots something down in his Scroll. "Very well. Since your weapon focuses heavily on its ranged capabilities: you'll be demonstrating your ability using the target range." He gives some sort of gesture to one of the proctors, a signal? Whatever it is, the area behind me starts to transform. Floorboards part, making way for these strange holographic projectors. At least, that's what I think they are. I only have the TV back at the house to go off of. "Whenever you're ready. We can begin." ...Yeah. I should ask them, shouldn't I?

"U-um..." I start, my tongue drying up as I do so.

"Yes?" He notions for me to continue. My shoulder loosen slightly. If Yang thinks that this is a good idea then, might as well try it. It's not like my score can get any worse.

"Could... could you double the speed, p-please?" I ask timidly. The examiners give each other a look before giving that signal again. Almost too quiet to hear, I make out the tepid clicks from the holograms. Guess that's it then. I take Warbreaker off my back and settle it into my shoulder. This is it.

This is my last chance to show them what I'm made of.

"I-I'm ready!" I call out. The first hologram starts up, it's a picture of a... Beowolf.

Up. Aim. Fire. A bullet scores it right in the head almost as quickly as it appears. Another one appears not even before the first one drops. My aim snaps. Fire. Another headshot. Another target. Again. Aim. Fire. Direct hit in the head, again.

Hey... I think I'm coping? The pace continues. Whenever another target goes down, another one is there to take its place but they're supposed to be overwhelming me right now.

I... I think I can do this! I just have to keep doing what I'm doing! Another hologram goes down. Another. Another. Yet another! I've only been using single shots so far but I still have time to breath. Warbreaker's bullets may not be as powerful as Crescent Rose's but I don't have to unload the chamber every single time I fire. That lack of delay is invaluable here. I can't stop, I won't stop for anything!

Click.

Well, except for reloading. A finger on my right hand pops the empty magazine while my left hand nimbly dips into the ammo bag and takes out a fresh magazine. Into the slot, pop the chamber and it's a clean reload. I go to fire at the hologram but... it disappears. Shit. I was too slow. I should've been counting the bullets, now I've missed one. That's going to bite me in the ass. I swiftly catch myself by shooting the one that appeared after it, though. I'm back on track. More targets: more bullets, more contacts. Hit another target. Another. Again. Again. Again! A...

They've stopped. No more's coming. Am... Am I done? I think I'm done. Woah. That was... That was a blur. I turn around, looking at the examiners who are... looking intently at their Scrolls. Um, did I do okay?

"Thank you very much, Mister Liddell. You should hear back from the Academy in roughly two weeks," the examiner in the middle announces. I... guess that's it then. No acknowledgement: no disappointment... It's strange. I don't know how to feel. Did I do well? Did I do poorly? Did I do anything at all to make them want to pick me?

I turn myself around to leave, feeling like the haze of uncertainty cloud over me. Nothing to do but wait, I suppose. I turn myself around to head towards the door when suddenly...

A clap. Clapping, echoing against the empty hall. My body whirls around, locking eyes with the source.

Professor Ozpin. He's clapping, completely stone-faced. The examiners are staring at him like he's just grown three heads. I'm... not quite sure how to react, honestly. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy, the Academy I spent six months training to attend it, is praising me on my performance. Well, I guess there is one thing I can do then. I bow politely to him.

I'm not sure if I'm worthy of this applause... but I do feel a little more certain of myself now. That, I can be thankful for.

* * *

My leg jitters violently as I stare at the front door

If there's anything worse than an exam itself, it's the waiting afterwards. I thought that maybe, since I'd only have to wait two weeks instead of two months for my results, it'd be far less stressful. Turns out, not the case. At least before I was given an exact date, not a rough estimation. I've asked Taiyang 'Is it here yet?' so many times that I'm one step away from literally chewing his ear off.

Thankfully, that finally ends today as Tai opens the front door brandishing two envelopes each baring the twin-axe symbol of Vale. Instead of showing any signs of surprise, when we lock eyes he simply rolls his eyes before handing over one of the envelopes.

"Here you go," he says with a sigh of relief. As I take the slip of paper out of his hands, staring wide-eyed at it like I'm handling a nuclear bomb, Tai calls up the stairs, "Yang! Your results from Beacon's here!" A loud bump comes from her room as the blonde in-question rushes down to meet us.

"Nice!" She cheers, taking her envelope at such speed that it almost looked like she snatched it from him. I gaze down at my own letter as my hands shake.

Well, this is it. Moment of truth. Either I'm accepted into Beacon Academy where I can properly start looking for a way home or...

Damn it. Stop it! Stop thinking about it! Stop shaking! I haven't even opened the letter yet.

"Hey," my head snaps up at Yang's voice. She waves her envelope in my direction. "Same time, okay?" R-right. That sounds like a good idea, I nod with a 'Mm.'

"Ready?" She lifts a hand over her letter, I do the same with mine.

"Y-yeah," I nod, taking a deep breath. One. Two...

Three! We both tear into our respective envelope, tatters flimsily flying from our fingertips. Yang manages to take hers out fairly quickly, but my clumsy fingers combined with my racing heartbeat causes me to fumble and utterly destroy the paper in order to take out mine. As such, Yang unfolds her note first, letting out a mighty cheer.

"Yes!" She celebrates, turning around to hug her father. "I'm in!"

"That's amazing! I knew you could do it, Yang!" He joins in, almost lifting her off her feet with how tight their hug is. I look down, note still folded up. Okay. Now it's my turn. Carefully, I flip it open expecting the words 'You haven't been chosen,' to be inscribed with large bold lettering on the front of it. My sight erratic, I start reading from the top.

 _Dear Mister Eren Liddell._

 _We at Beacon Academy have taken…_

 _Have taken notice of your talents and we want to cordially... invite you to study at our esteemed Academy…_ Oh my god.

Oh my god. They've...

"They've accepted me..." I say aloud.

It seems far too good to true, I just have to say it again. "They've accepted me." As the words finally start to sink in, pure elation begins to take over my face.

This isn't a dream. This is totally real. I'm in. Against all odds: against logic, against my own lacking performance. Somehow, someway, I actually pulled it off!

" **I'm going to Beacon!"**

* * *

 **A/N:** Bloody. Hell. Well, I did say that it was going to be a big one and a big one it is. If I keep up this sort of pace with, the Volume 3 arc finale is going to be long enough to fill a novel.

And the funniest thing is, this is only the ending to the beginning Arc. Yep. The first ten chapters of the story are meant to act as a way to set up some things before we head into the real nit-and-gritty. Oh dear god. If nothing else, this is going to be a long story. Not entirely sure if it's good per say but hey, still got a long way to go to try and convince everybody of that.

Next chapter, the story will finally be heading to Beacon so, just for fun, why don't you guys try guessing what Eren's team is going to be like? Who his partner is, his teammates and whether he'll be the leader or a follower. The members are comprised of characters from RWBY and JNPR. I'm interested to see what you guys think of.

What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Tell me why in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 -Our Guiding Light  
**

Reverberant engines hum from the airship as bustling dock personnel work tirelessly in preparation for its departure to Beacon Academy. As more and more of my future classmates flock to its gate with loaded suitcases, I can only shuffle slightly and stare out into the distance, waiting for Bumblebee to show up with its two passengers.

"She's running it close," grumbles Tai, tapping his foot as he takes yet another glimpse at the time.

"They'll be here," I say assuredly. Yang could've easily became a professional motorcycle racer if she wanted to. She'll make sure they'll be here on time. Tai sighs, folding his arms and leaning back against his motorcycle. I can hardly blame him for being a little worried: the four of us did leave at the same time after all. I rode with him on the way here, he was pretty insistent that I did so, as Yang and Ruby sped ahead almost immediately. At their rate, we both figured that they'd arrive at the airship before us.

Not so, apparently.

"Do you want me to call them? Find out where they are?" I offer, flashing my Scroll. He gives it a glance, the wheels in his head turning as he chews his lip.

"No..." He replies faintly, before affirming himself with another, "No. You're right. They'll be here in time." His hand kneads into his neck. "I'm just being a silly old worrywart as usual," he remarks ruefully with a chuckle. "I can't believe I'm losing all three of you at the same time."

"Will... you be okay? On your own, I mean," I ask him, tugging at the straps of my rucksack. Like always, he waves me off.

"Hey, you don't have to worry. I have Zwei to keep me company. Besides, this could actually be a good thing." He leans off of his bike, stretching out his arms. "It's been a while since my last mission. Without Yang, I would've had to stay home more often to look after Ruby. It'll be nice to get back in the field again." I smile softly. I know that Tai's nothing but proud at the fact that his two daughters are attending Beacon but, it's nice that he's found a silver-lining for himself.

Still, it was rather sudden. Ruby told us everything after Tai frantically picked her up from the Police Station: the robbery, the Huntress, that... Torchwood guy? After all that, Professor Ozpin waltzed into the Station and offered her a place at Beacon Academy.

Ruby certainly has a habit of being at the right place at the right time.

"There they are!" Tai calls out, finger out-stretched towards a yellow and black motorcycle rolling up in the distance. As it comes screeching to a halt in front of us, wheels spinning and kicking up dirt all over the place, we can just barely make out the rushed words spewing from Yang's mouth.

"Okay, you've definitely got pajamas?" Immediately as the bike stops, Ruby jumps off and storms to grab her suitcase from the back.

"Yes," Ruby grits, as she forcefully pulls her luggage out.

"You've got spare outfits?" She asks again, listing off with her fingers.

"Yes," Ruby growls.

"Scroll's all charged up?" Again.

"Yang," the younger sibling futilely attempts to stop her sister's fussing.

"You have Lien?"

"Yang-"

"What about shampoo? How about comics for the ride? Oh! Did you grab your toothbrush? What about-"

" _Yang!_ " Ruby howls, finally giving herself an opening to speak. "I've got everything, okay?! I'm totally prepared." Yang goes to open her mouth but her sister is quick to cut her off with a hand. "Yes! I'm sure! I've checked," she levels with a glare. "Fifteen times." The older sibling raises her hands up in defence.

"I can't help it! I have to make sure my precious little sister has everything for her big day!" She lets out a squee. A very loud squee. "My little sister's coming to Beacon with me! I can't believe it!" She hops up and down like a hyperactive jackhammer. "Oh! Come here, you!" Without warning, Yang scoops up Ruby into a hug that seems to be less cuddle and more tackle.

"Hrk!" She coughs out, her puny arms fruitlessly trying to push her older sister away. "Yang!" Another throaty cough follows her vehement glaring. "Get off!" As I watch the chaos unfold before me, I feel an elbow prod my arm.

"You're stuck with them, you know," he remarks with a smirk. The forced embrace soon turns into a loud scuffle as Tai winces. "I... better go break that up." He hastily rushes towards them, leaving me to observe the poor man attempt to pry his children away from each other. I can't help but stifle a smile at the sight of the muscular man struggling with all his might to pull his daughters apart. It's nothing I haven't adjusted to by now.

After a herculean effort on Tai's part, the pair have been split apart and the rest of their bags have finally been unloaded from Bumblebee. Groaning heavily, Tai scratches at his scalp.

"One of these days," he starts. "You two are going to make my hair fall out." It might just be my imagination, but I think I saw Yang flinch at those words. "Alright," he lets out a gust of air. "You all know where you're supposed to go when you land, right?" In our respective tempos, we all nod. I'm not entirely comfortable with joining in with them but, it'd feel far more awkward if I didn't. "Good. Okay. There will be somebody take your bags on your way in. Yang, you'll need to take Bumblebee up to vehicle storage. It'll need to be processed separately from the rest of your stuff."

Yang acknowledges with a clear, "Gotcha." Tai continues.

"So, Yang has the map. She'll know where to go for the Induction ceremony and the teachers will tell you everything that'll happen from there. Any questions?" He cues us to say something. I just shake my head while Yang and Ruby answer with a peppy, "Nah," and "Nope," respectively. Tai takes our answers as a vote of confidence, clapping his hands together. "Great! Okay! You three better hurry. The airship will be ready to leave in about-" A sound blare booms out from the airship behind us. Tai's mouth is left unhinged from the noise so, I think I'll finish for him.

The airship's about to leave.

"Uh oh," squeaks Ruby.

"Grab everything and book it!" Shouts Yang, hauling her suitcase onto her shoulder and using her spare arm to push Bumblebee towards the entrance. Her sister grabs a hold of her suitcase, dragging it along before the pair give their father a quick hug.

"See ya, Dad!" Rushes Ruby.

"We'll call you when we settle in!" Yelps Yang. Tai can only stand there, fumbling over his words as his daughters depart for the airship. Seeing them both almost fall over themselves in their haste makes me all the gladder that I packed light. Not that I had much to begin with.

"Thank you!" I bow my head, turning on my heels to follow suit.

"Eren," his voice stops me. I twist my head around to meet him. He looks like he wants to ask me something but the words fail him for whatever reason he has. "You..." He starts, the words fading before he speaks again. "You know you can always call me if you're having trouble, okay?" That's... totally like him to offer but, why would he hold back on telling me something like that? I nod back at him.

"I will. Thank you," I reply gratefully.

"Come on, Eren!" Yang yells. Oh! That's right! Don't want to be late!

"Coming!" I call back, sprinting after them towards the airship.

* * *

Boarding the airship, the three of us are greeted by the somewhat luxurious and surprisingly spacious passenger suite. Unlike what I'm usually used to when flying, there aren't any seats or rows, but a single viewing gallery complete with two large windows on each side. At the far end, I see another door leading deeper into the hull but I'm not sure what's down there exactly. Just before we got on, we were told to stay in the main suite until the 'Introduction,' concludes. Whatever that is.

In the meantime, we're to stay here. As we enter, Yang takes the initiative and locates a spot for the three of us to hang out for the time being. The two sisters chatter about whatever comes to mind while I'm more than happy to listen.

Though I do pipe up every now and again whenever is suitable, my attention continually flickers between them and the hologram broadcasting the news. I keep thinking that something interesting will soon turn up on it, but the best that's come up so far is something about the Vale council meeting about the policy of 'Blah, blah, politics, blah.' It's nothing I haven't heard from the last six months of watching Vale news. Throw in another senseless murder and you'll have the last five years down to a tee.

I zone back into the conversation.

"You should be proud of what you did! It was amazing!" Yang cheers. She turns around wearing a proud grin on her face. "Tell her, Eren!"

"Uh," I say dumbly, eyes wide as I'm suddenly put on the spot. Figures. I stop listening for five seconds and I feel like I've been dropped into an entirely different conversation. Well, I suppose I can only tell her the obvious then. "You're amazing?"

"You have no idea what we're talking about, do you?" Ruby says dryly. I scratch the back of my neck awkwardly. There's no fooling her. How does they always know?

"Sorry," I admit. In the corner of my eye, I can see Yang roll her eyes slightly.

"Ruby's being all humble about the whole stopping an armed robbery thing," she tells me. "Even though, it was crazy awesome and she should own it. Like right now."

"It really isn't that big of a deal," Ruby says rubbing her arm. Despite the amount of praise being heaped on her, it doesn't seem to be having the effect that Yang is looking for.

"Of course, it's a big deal! It's all over the news!" She exclaims, nodding her head towards the news broadcast. "Everyone at Beacon's bound to find out. They'll know just how much of an awesome fighter you are!" Her words of encouragement only succeed in making Ruby's eye dim slightly.

"That's..." She drifts off.

"You don't want people to think you're cool?" I ask her softly to which she responds by shaking her head.

"No, that's not it. I just..." She sighs lightly. "I don't want people treating me differently just because I skipped two years." There's a pause between us. I try to think of something comforting to say, but none of the words feel like they're the correct ones to use. I second-guess them, move them around and try to figure out something feasible to cheer her up but... I don't know what those are exactly.

I opt to stay quiet. Remaining silent and not making anything worse is better than saying something harmful or worse, stupid.

"Geez. What is up with you two?" Yang groans, breaking the silence and wrapping her arms around our shoulders like she's trying to ensnare us. "Guys, lighten up. We did it! We're going to Beacon! All three of us! Isn't that awesome?!" As her excitement rises, her clutch tightens along with it, crushing us both with her immense strength and forcing the air out of our lungs with a dusty croak.

"Gah! Y-Yang! Knock it off!" Ruby cries out but her sister is far too enraptured in the 'embrace' to notice.

"Kh! H-have her hugs always been this forceful?" I cough, legs slowly leaving the ground.

"N-nope! It's actually pretty soft this time!" She grits. Oh god, this isn't even the worst of it? I can't tell whether I should be grateful it's not too bad, terrified that it can get worse, or concerned that I can't feel my left arm anymore. Why do my friends always have to be so... personal?

"In other news, this Saturday's Faunus civil rights protest turned dark," the news presenter announces. My eyes meet the screen immediately. "When members of the White fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful-" I tune her out, remaining fixated on the flag appearing in the corner. White with the head of a sharp toothed monster protruding out from razor sharp claw marks smearing the white like it's been painted in blood.

The White Fang. Out of all the new names I've learned in the past six months, that's one that keeps popping up more times than I'd like. It reminds me too much of something we have back home. Far, far too much.

Long story short: they were once ambassadors for peace between Humans and Faunus, a divide I still find difficulty understanding, and when their peaceful tactics stopped working they resorted to more... violent methods. What I see before me today is what resulted from that drastic change. Before, they lobbied for peace. Now, they're basically a group of terrorists who hate Humans with a passion. Even when I'm so far away, some things just love to stay the same.

The entire thing just makes me sad. The last thing I'd want is the Faunus to be separated from us. I really want to find out more about them. They're really interesting.

Suddenly, the broadcast cuts out and from it, a mature blonde woman with glasses appears in its place.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon," she greets us with a strict yet gentle tone. As she continues talking, the woman introduces herself as Miss 'Glynda Goodwitch,' one of our future teachers at Beacon. Most of what she's saying isn't anything we didn't know before, it's pretty much just for formalities.

As her speech ends, the hologram fades away opening up the view to Vale that I've been neglecting to admire throughout the entire trip. I look down at the Kingdom, practically gluing myself to the glass. The view is just as good as I remember, better even. Inside, driving around, I felt like I was just a dot in something grand but from here, being so far above in the sky, it gives you an even clearer scale of just how massive this place really is. How busy it all is: how active it all is, just how alive it truly is.

My sister would love this place. She'd find the diversity in the rich architecture so enthralling.

I wonder how they're doing...

"Woah..." Ruby gushes beside me. "Hey, Yang! Look! You can see Signal from here!"

"Really? Let me see," she responds eagerly, tapping me on the shoulder. "Move over a bit, Eren?" It barely counts as a request but I understand what she means, acknowledging with a nod. I step away from the window, giving Yang a bit more space to stand next to her sister, as my ears pick up some sort of... gagging noise?

Bump.

Another body connects with my back. The impact almost topples me, like the paperweight that I am, but I manage to work with the momentum.

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry!" I blurt out, swerving around. In front of me is a tall blonde guy, wearing a white plate of armour over what looks to be a black hoodie. "U-uh, a-a-are you okay?" I ask. I don't think he heard me however, as he staggers away with his hands muffling his panicked voice, darting towards the far end of the bridge.

"Wha- Hey!" A girl squeals as a horrid...

Oh. Oh dear.

"Eww! That's so gross! Urgh, it's all over the floor!" Ruby retches. The rest of the deck seem to be on the same page as similar outcries of disgust flood the cabin. Those who didn't see it happen find out pretty quickly from the nauseous smell reeking from the front. My eyes snap away from the mess as the blood rushes to my face. Did... Did I cause that?

"Ruby! Ruby, look at Eren's face! He's bright red!" Yang points to my face as she keels over laughing. I try to hide my intense blushing underneath my hood. This is just so mortifying.

"Blech! He's even got it all over her white dress!" Ruby blenches.

"Well, it's not white anymore! Oh my gosh, I can't breathe!"

Someone please kill me. I don't want to live anymore.

* * *

Our other classmates start heading towards the Academy as the drama continues to unfold right before our very eyes. The guy, 'Vomitboy' as Ruby so affectionately nicknamed him, is dealing with the girl from before ranting and raving at him with little to any success of calming her down.

The girl is quite a petite little thing, she's almost as slim as I am. With her white hair tied up into a ponytail hanging off the side of her head: her pale white complexion, her cold looking skin, and her... previously white dress, she could be mistaken for the Lady in White.

Several butlers swarm to the girl's side, frantically trying to undo the damage caused with damp sponges and multiple buckets of water all while their young mistress is screeching her head off like a demented banshee.

"Sheesh. She's laying into him hard," Yang comments, folding her arms.

"Yeah. Poor guy," Ruby agrees with a nod, giving Vomitboy a sympathetic look. I rub at my neck, feeling a little guilty for what happened. Ruby and Yang would probably call me a Drama Queen for thinking so but, I can't shake the feeling that this wouldn't have happened if I didn't bump into him like a complete dolt.

"Maybe, I should... do something?" I suggest, twiddling my fingers. Yang raises an eye at my suggestion.

"Uh, Eren? Don't take this the wrong way or anything but, I don't think you'd be much help. See that?" She points as several servants' rush to pick up the girl's copious amounts of suitcases. "That's hell. Don't walk into it."

"Yeah, you're right..." I reply, dropping my head slightly. It's not like I had much of a plan besides waving my arms pleading, 'No! No! Please stop!' Solving disputes has never been my forte anyhow. My head perks up slightly as I notice Yang's eyes shifting around us. Looking the empty space beside her, I quickly catch on to why.

"Hey. Where'd Ruby g- Oh. Ruby!" She groans loudly, spotting her sister further down towards the courtyard tailing one student before quickly switching to another. Following them for their weapons no doubt. My body sags slightly. Yang seems to feel the same way. "Gah! I leave her alone for two seconds and she wanders off! We need to get her a leash." She huffs indignantly. "Well, we better get her back before she wanders off and gets lost," She pauses. "Again."

We will never let her live that down, I swear. Still, I give the scenario a sigh as I quietly trail after Yang. As expected, Ruby's been trailing after other student's weapons like a love-struck child drunk on sugar. A normal day for our Ruby, come to think of it. The pair of us close in, I think I catch a drop of drool drip from her mouth, as her ears twitch and she spins around to meet me.

"Eren! Eren! Look!" She points me specifically towards the jolting sheathe of one of the passing students. From a glance, it doesn't appear too different from any other wacky and crazily designed sword sheathe. However, what's really peeking Ruby's interest is the type of material the sheathe is made from. The name alludes me, it's something fancy I'm sure, but I do know from Ruby that it's a highly durable flame retardant commonly used in several different kinds of locomotives throughout the Kingdoms. Which means...

"A fire sword?" I answer. Ruby bobs her head.

"Yeah! Yeah! It even has a temperature modulator. Isn't that so cool?!" She responds, absolutely giddy.

"Well, it's a fire sword so I'm pretty sure it's really hot," Yang snarks, earning herself a weak glare from her little sister. I'd imagine the modulator is on there for additional safety reasons. Lord knows I feel pretty uncomfortable carrying Warbreaker around with just a safety catch, let alone heaving around the chaotic love-child of a lightsabre and a flamethrower with the only thing standing between you and a burnt leg is a simple switch. No thank you.

Actually, come to think of it...

"Isn't having our weapons on-campus pretty... dangerous?" I ask cautiously. The pair blink at my question before Ruby scoffs lightly and shakes her head.

"Nah, not really. Huntsmen with weapons is a pretty common sight in the kingdoms. We're kinda trusted to use them properly," She answers. I think over her answer with a hum. It's a simple answer, always is from Ruby, and I suppose it's not too farfetched for us to be trusted on something like weapon safety. We are supposed to protect them from the Grimm after all. If the people can't trust us to not keep them safe from ourselves, how in the world could they trust us to protect them from the Grimm? It may feel irresponsible but, if the police and the military back home had to be trusted with their weapons, what makes us so different?

Still, the temptation is always there.

"Oh! That reminds me! Can I see Violet Vigil for a second?" Ruby asks, hold out her arms.

"Monthly check-up?" I reply warmly, taking Warbreaker off my back.

"Heheh. Yeah, just a quick one though. I'm sure she's alright," she assures me, gently taking my rifle from me. As she quickly goes to work checking that all the kinks are still working probably. At worst, there might be a little rust here and there but that's pushing it a little. Ruby's mandatory gun checks along with her valuable advice have made sure that Warbreaker's clean, clear and working at its absolute best.

"Violet Vigil?" Yang leans in.

"It was one of the names she suggested for my gun.," I shrug. "She prefers it over Warbreaker so, I just let her call it that." Violet Vigil was just one of the many, many names she suggested for Warbreaker when we finished. Along with Violet Splinter: Violet Bomb, Violet Petal... She really likes the name 'Violet. No idea why.

"Ooh..." Her face scrunches up slightly. "Wait, since when was Warbreaker a 'She?'"

"Uh..." I smile unevenly, scratching my neck. "I-it's a... little complicated. I'll tell you some other time." It involves a roundabout discussion about boys preferring their cars to be girls or something along those lines. It was a conversation that my cousin probably would've enjoyed. It's no skin off my nose so, I just let her call Warbreaker whatever she wants.

Ruby closes the loading chamber with a click. That's her routine finished, though I notice her lips begin to purse.

"Hm. Everything seems to be good but..." She gives me the look. Right. The last part of her routine. "You know what I'm going to tell you, right?" I let out a breath, gingerly taking the black and blue gun off her hands.

"I know. I know, but I like it this way. It's simple, easy to use," I say, pressing the stock against my shoulder casually for emphasis. Sure, it's not the flashiest weapon on Remnant but, it works fine all the same. The recoil doesn't even bother me anymore so, I won't have that working against me when I'm out in the field. I like my little Warbreaker. I think it's perfect for me. Ruby disagrees.

"Too simple. She's way underpowered, especially as your primary," she points out. She's not exactly wrong. Most Huntsman in Remnant tend to focus on having a nice strong close-range offense and have long range as backup. Hell, some fighters forgo the long-range capabilities altogether and become absolutely indomitable. The few fighters that do prefer long-range like myself tend to focus on heavier weaponry like rocket-launchers or these strange energy weapons which were far too expensive to make. Without that extra kick, Warbreaker isn't exactly a huge damage dealer.

I still like it, and it's not like I have the body strength to deal with something that powerful anyway. One press of the trigger and shoulder would shatter like sugar glass.

"I think she'll be okay for now but, you're really gonna have to think about modifying her at some point. That, or making a new gun altogether," she says the last part half-heartedly.

"Yeah, that's true," I admit a little glumly. Having to readjust to the gun again, new or not sounds like an absolute pain. Still, if she's that adamant about it... "I'll think about it."

"Don't do the second thing though. I think she has a lot of potential for mods. The barrel: the flash, the stock. Get rid of the stupid bayonet and you can do a whole lot with that space. Replace it with something way better!" Ruby's eyes light up. "Ooh! Maybe a chainsa-"

"T-t-thanks for the advice, Ruby!" I cut her off hastily, the pitch of my voice rising in my panic. "I'll put it to good use! Heh. Heh..." Seriously, what is with her and chainsaws?

"Okay, enough of the gun talk you guys. We'd better head to this induction ceremony thing. Come on! Let's go!" She beckons, leading the way for us to follow. Ruby skips after her quite merrily. I let out another breath as I stare up at the Academy I've been yearning to attend for so long.

Beacon Academy. I'm finally here.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, this took longer than I hoped. I didn't expected the transition between original scenes and the altered canon scenes to feel this treacherous. Before, all I had to worry about was what I wanted to accomplish in each chapter and making that the canon characters are written properly - still not sure how I did on that last one honestly. Now, I have to worry about which story elements to alter: what I can do with those alterations in the long run and most importantly, how to present both changed and unchanged elements in a way that feels natural and interesting to read.

It's fun stuff being a writer~

In response to the guest review by Blinky, thank you very much for the review! I'm glad you're getting into the story despite your concerns. If you begin to feel that Eren's character is going in the wrong direction, feel free to let me know.

Anyway, I have thought about maybe including other teams during the initiation but, I have a very perculiar way of choosing the teams and adding more than two would turn it into a complete narrative mess. Managing so many changes would be far too much hassle to deal with and portraying them all naturally would be a complete pain. Plus, the initiation is supposed to serve as the first major event where the story diverges from canon. CRDL and the OCs -obviously- don't have much relevance to the canon plot beyond Cardin's bullying and I'm a bit skeptical whether or not he's going to be of any importance down the line.

If you're still interested in CRDL getting more characterization, you're in luck! They're going to have a role in the coming arc and Cardin's character especially is going to be expanded upon. OC characters will be included a little later on, just so readers can get used to the new dynamics first.

Though, about the relics, if I recall correctly during the initiation, there were ten relics on each side. I think how it worked was that you had the pairs of Bishop: Rook and Knight, then the King and Queen together and finally, a pair of Pawns which totals to ten teams. I had to look that up again just in-case. Since neither King/Queen or Pawns were mentioned during the team ceremony, it's easy to forget those pieces were there.

Still, would be pretty bloody awkward for SIs who used the Pawn as justification for the fifth member trope. Instead of getting 'the special piece,' they're essentially muddling up the entire team process by nicking a Pawn piece without a partner and never meeting up with their real teammates. That's a bit of a bugger.

Thank you very much for reading. What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - Initiation Day**

Ten. Zero, eight. Twelve.

After inputting my passcode, the locker door swings open to reveal Warbreaker along with my ammo bag safely nestled inside. I let out a little sigh of relief. They're still there. They're both still there. My head keeps telling me that there'd be no logical reason for anybody else on the campus to take it but a gun is a gun after all. Even if mine is nowhere near as impressive looking as everyone else's, someone is bound to find some value in stealing it.

People have taken less.

As I go to work collecting everything together, I let out a stifling yawn.

"Sleep well?" Yang asks wryly from her locker. I mumble a weak reply and shake my head. Something must've heard my silent plea on the airship because I've never felt deader in my life. Yesterday wasn't even particularly trying either., I've had far more busy days with Qrow before. There was the Induction speech from Professor Ozpin which was... strange. The three of us stored our weapons in the locker room for the night, we grabbed a few things from our bags, had ourselves a bite to eat and...

Oh, we were forced to sleep in the Ballroom instead of being designated dorm rooms like we thought. It was dreadful, I buried myself as far into my sleeping bag as I could but I still couldn't fall asleep.

"Maybe it's because you were overheated from wearing your hoodie?" Yang suggests.

Or maybe it was because of the very abundant amount of people sleeping in the same room as us. It's troubling enough trying to sleep normally but having several pairs of eyes in the same room as you, watching every move you make, doesn't make that experience any better.

Though, yeah. She may have a point about the hoodie. I wouldn't have been so boiled if I sat out in the sun for six hours straight. Well, at least we only had to sleep in there once.

Today's the Initiation: the last hurdle in our way from officially becoming Beacon students. It's something the three of us have heard about from before we were even accepted into Beacon. Well, when I say, 'Heard about' I mean none of actually know what the Initiation entails. We've been given a place and a time, Beacon Cliff at nine o'clock sharp, but that's about it. It's a complete mystery.

Speaking of which, "Hey, Yang?" I start drowsily. "Have you heard back from Tai yet?" She turns around, bumping her locker door shut with her hip.

"Yeah. Didn't get anything out of him, though. He just told me 'I'll see,' and then started laughing evilly," she huffs, leaning against her locker door. "The dork. Didn't even tell me anything about the teams." I hum in response. She looks over at Ruby. "What about you, Ruby? Got anything good?"

"Nope," she answers. "I did hear somebody mention something about there being five members on a team?" We both raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know. That doesn't sound right. Five's pretty big. I think that guy meant to say four? Maybe?" she shrugs. "I dunno." Neither of us object to that theory. Five people on a team seems rather excessive. "What about you, Eren? Did you hear anything?" I shake my head, surprising no one.

"Not really," I respond, fastening the ammo bag around my waist. "Everyone was talking about some girl in the boys toilets stalking this one guy, though." The pair of them balk at my answer.

"What?!" Ruby screeches.

"That's so weird! Who does that?!" Yang exclaims. I open my mouth to answer when my droopy eyes flicker to a couple of students passing through, one of them giggling as she skips merrily by. I sigh a little. Some people just have all the energy in the world.

"I wouldn't know," I admit. "So..."

"Basically, we still don't know crap about this initiation," Yang says out loud. That's essentially the gist of it, yeah. We don't even know why we've been designated at the top of a cliff, let alone what we're supposed to be doing and how we're supposed to form our teams. Part of me is hoping that we're allowed to choose but, I highly doubt that's the case.

Huntsman sure like keeping their traditions secret, don't they?

"Well, it doesn't matter if we don't know," Ruby perks up, setting Crescent Rose on her back. "Whatever this initiation thing is, we're gonna kick its butt!"

"Yeah we are!" Yang cheers with a fist pump.

"Yay..." I chime in weakly, propping my weary head on my locker door. Nothing seems to keep these two down for long, that's for sure.

"And after we've passed," Ruby continues. "We're going to form the most awesomest team to attend Beacon ever!" A pause. "Of all time!" It's a rather lofty goal, I'd say it's more for hyperbole than a true goal really but, I feel the sentiment nonetheless. Despite the major jump in years, Ruby doesn't seem to be faring too badly. If I were in her shoes, I'd be freaking out right about now. Having to leave all your friends behind to attend a school that's supposed to be far too advanced for you? It's a wonder she isn't a wreck right about now.

I have to wonder why though.

"Uh, what team is that?" Yang asks suddenly. Ruby and I share a look, mouths agape. If it were Ruby or myself asking such a question, nobody would be surprised but Yang? Not Yang. She's way smarter socially than the pair of us combined. She should know exactly what we're talking about.

"You know? It's our team!" Ruby answers for the pair of us. "You. Me. Eren, and... some other person," she says the last part with a dismissing tone. "Wasn't that obvious?"

"Well, yeah. It is but, you know guys. Maybe..." Yang replies, playing with her hair. "Maybe it's an idea for us to be on separate teams?"

"What?! No!" Ruby shrieks.

"W-why would we do that?" I splutter. After so many years of being a hopeless straggler in class groups, I finally have people I know well enough to form a proper team with. Why in the world would she want us to separate? Ruby turns to me.

"She's embarrassed by us!" She exclaims, pointing a finger at her older sister. Yang reels back slightly, holding up her hands.

"No! No, that's not it at all. I just think that, well, it'd be a good idea if we had our own social circles," she answers. We stare blankly at her response. "Exclusively." Our stares intensify. "Away from each other," she clarifies needlessly. It doesn't matter how many ways she words it: the idea's never going to sit well with either of us. Certainly not me, anyway.

"She's totally embarrassed by us," Ruby whispers in, shaking her head like a disapproving old gossip.

"Tsk. Tsk. Shameful," I join in. Well, if she's doing it, I don't think it'll harm anyone if I played along a little. If they do it first, it must be just a joke.

"Look," Yang grumbles, rubbing her eyes. "All I'm saying is: it'd be way healthier if you two made some friends of your own. Learning how to deal with new people is a very valuable skill to have."

"What th- I know how to make friends!" Ruby yells back indignantly. She points a thumb towards me as she continues. "I made friends with Eren!" The older sister folds her arms.

"We both know he doesn't count, Ruby," she replies, prompting me to raise an eyebrow.

"I don't?" I ask quizzically. Shouldn't I count? You did approach me first after all. Looking back, Ruby was far more interested in becoming friends than I was truly worth. Honestly: with her upbeat attitude, cheerful demeanor and just generally being pleasant to be around, I'd never guess that she's as anti-social as a rugged hermit. Yang turns, giving me her attention.

"You're, uh... different," she says with slight difficulty. What does she mean by...

Oh. Yeah. When I stop and think about it, it does make sense. Ruby and I didn't exactly meet in the most typical of circumstances. It's not like Ruby normally makes friends by saving them when they first meet. Though, I wouldn't put it past her.

"Oh, come on!" Ruby groans loudly. "That's so-"

" _Ridiculous_!" A tall lanky blonde guy shouts as he passes us by. His head darting from locker to locker, occasionally back to the note in his hand as he continues walking. I think I hear him murmur about locker six-three-six or something. My eyes narrow slightly. Isn't that the same guy from yesterday? I do a quick scrounge around in my head for that name we called him. What was it? Hurlguy? No. Vomitboy. That's it.

Jarringly, Vomitboy's pace come to a halt as his eyes land on a familiar cold figure sorting through her locker. The girl in white from yesterday.

The girl he threw up yesterday, thanks to my clumsiness. He clearly hasn't forgotten that little incident, skittering behind the wall dividing the sections of lockers. It doesn't look like he's running, not exactly. As he disappears, he peeks out from behind his hiding spot like a wannabe secret-agent. He's not running, he's just hiding.

Meanwhile, the girl in white is currently talking eagerly to one of our other classmates. Looking over, I see a- Oh wow, she's tall. She's taller than Yang and she already dwarfs me. What do they feed these girls? And where do I find them?

What was I talking about? Oh, right. As I was saying, I see a very tall and muscular redheaded girl fully adorned in what looks to be some sort of centurion armor? No, that's not quite right. It looks like it takes some inspiration from B.C. Greek times which is... questionable but, it's no more confusing than everything else I've encountered on this world so far.

Suddenly, the 'Greek Girl,' moves her head slightly. Just as she's about to swivel around, I avert my gaze and pretend to be searching for the remainder of my stuff, daring not to give her a second glance Was I staring? Crap. I was musing for far too long again. Why do I have to be such an airhead? Moron! I must look like a total creep now.

"You!" A shrill voice shrieks venomously. I jump with a girly "Eep!". As a searing hot pain shoots through my skull and the sharp bounding sound of the locker rings through my ears, I quickly regret it with a yelp. Shooting out the door, I tenderly massage my head. Damn, that stings!

"Eren! Are you okay?!" Ruby gasps.

"That sounded like it had to hurt," Yang concurs. Both shoot me worried looks.

"I-I-I'm alright! L-locker's, ow, smaller than I thought," I reply with a wave. Well, I certainly can't feel any dumber right now. I hurt myself even before the Initiation's begun. I look back to the girl who shrieked, somehow proving myself wrong as her attention is currently directed towards the blonde Vomitboy.

"H-hey!" He starts nervously, suddenly having the idea to lean casually against the locker. "You." He shoots her a smirk as suave as a dead fish. I can hear Yang cringe a little behind me.

"What do you want? I thought I made it very clear yesterday that I didn't want to see your face ever again?" The girl replies with a fierce scowl. Vomitboy's eyes briefly flutters wide before relaxing again. He continues.

"Well, I just so happened to be passing by and-"

"Go. Away," She interrupts bluntly, spinning around to grab some stuff from her locker.

"W-wait!" He stutters, his 'charming,' demeanor faltering slightly. He recovers with a steady cough. "Ahem. I mean, we don't know each other's names yet. I'll go first. The name's Jaune Arc, sweet cheeks," he winks at her. A cold shiver runs up my back.

"Ouch. Rookie mistake," Yang comments from behind, sharing my sentiment with a hiss. Despite the horrible attempt at a pick-up line, Greek Girl steps beside Weiss and waves at 'Jaune.'

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune. I'm Pyrrha," 'Pyrrha' greets cheerfully.

"Hey, how ya doing?" He replies, barely giving her a glance of acknowledgement before focusing on the other girl again. "So, what's your name, Snow Angel?"

"Snow Angel? Seriously?" Yang sniggers, holding in her childish guffaws as well as a punctured balloon holds air. "He has no idea what he's doing!"

"Yang, shush!" Ruby reprimands her sister with a nudge. It's only dawns on me now how awkwardly the three of us must look right now, watching the two of them struggle with their dispute like an afternoon of one of my Mother's terrible soap opera programs. I feel the urge to bring up how nosy we're being right now but... I don't want to stop watching.

Am I weird? I think I'm weird.

"My name is none of your business!" The other girl bites out. Hello, 'None of your Business.' I'm Eren!

...I need to stop hanging out with Tai.

She raises a hand, ready to cuss him out again when it stops in mid-air. Slowly, her molten red face starts to cool, her posture softens. With a gentle cough clearing her throat, she speaks delicately.

"Okay, _Jaune_. You're clearly not getting the message here so, I'll speak plainly and clearly so you'll understand me." She leans in closer, wearing a smile so sickly sweet that it's as transparent as glass. "If you don't get out of my sight in the next five seconds, I'll make good on my promise yesterday..." Her smile drops and her voice turns deathly cold. "And freeze you to the ceiling."

A chilly wind passes through my heart. Suddenly, I feel like thanking Yang for stopping me yesterday. I don't know if she truly possesses the ability to freeze people. All I know is, I really wouldn't want to be Jaune right now.

"Heh... Uh, are you being serious?" Jaune asks nervously.

"Five," she starts counting, diving into her locker and pulling out some sort of modified rapier as white as her dress. I think that's clear enough an answer.

"Oh god, you're actually going to do it," he says, eyes widening as the realization finally dawns on him. This girl isn't screwing around here.

"Four," she glides a finger down her rapier's blade. Little droplets of sweat start popping up on Jaune's forehead.

"L-look! I-I didn't mean for yesterday to happen! I j-just wanted to say-"

"Three," she takes her finger off the blade and rubs it against her thumb.

" _Iwanttomakeituptoyoupleasedon'tturnmeintoahumanpopsicle_!" He blurts out, shielding his face with his arms.

"You want to make it up to me?" She glares intensely. "You humiliated me! You ruined my favorite dress! I had to have it rinsed by my finest butlers no less than thirty times before the stains finally came out! And you want me to just forgive you like it's nothing!?"

"Uh... yes?" He says, grinning unironically.

"...Okay then," she nods. Wait, what? The energy in the rapier slowly recedes as she holsters it. Her glare hasn't disappeared, not entirely, but her tone isn't quite as aggressive as it was before. She's... not really going to forgive him just like that, is she? "There's one little problem that I need dealt with and I think you're perfect for the job."

"Uh, sure! Your wish is my command, my lady," he says, bowing overtly like he's parodying a proper knight. The girl makes a gagging noise from her throat.

"Augh... Just turn around," she commands, mimicking a twirling motion with her finger. Without complaint, the knight shifts around exactly as ordered. "Now, all you need to do, is walk a hundred paces in that direction."

"Away from you?" He asks carefully.

"Exactly," she grumbles, folding her arms. Furling his eyebrows, Jaune blinks at the answer.

"What does that-"

"Do you want to end up on the ceiling?" She growls, holding up her rapier for emphasis.

"No, ma'am!" He screeches, straightening his back at her stern tone.

"Good. Then walk!" She bellows. Jumping slightly, Jaune begins power-walking like a man set alight.

"Walking! I'm walking!" He cries, not once turning his gaze as he walks past us. Under his breath, I can hear him count the paces. "One, two, three, five. No, that's four. Six, seven-" His voice slowly quietens as he walks away. She certainly didn't have to tell him twice, nor did he want to give her any reason to.

I do feel a tinge of sympathy for the guy. It really wasn't his fault what happened on the ship, if anything, the blame resides with me for being a clumsy sod. He's just unlucky that he just so happened to throw up on the angriest girl this side of Remnant.

Still, why did he think that acting like a James Bond wannabe was going to help in convincing her to forgive him? I don't know the first thing about flirting but, even I can tell that was atrocious.

That Jaune's a strange guy.

"Wasn't that a little harsh, Weiss?" Pyrrha speaks up, rubbing her arm awkwardly. As if putting on an entirely new face, Weiss' glaring form completely disappears, replaced with a pleasant mild-mannered smile.

"Oh, it's nothing Pyrrha! Those kinds of people are just a pain to deal with. Luckily, I know how to give them a firm hand. Trust me, he deserved it," she replies, tilting her head up to the ceiling and smiling proudly. Rather too proud of herself for elaborately telling someone to piss off.

Did she intend to just scare him off or, was she seriously going to freeze him like she promised? I seriously can't tell. Scratch that, I don't want to know.

This girl terrifies me.

"Right..." Pyrrha gives the faraway Jaune a second glance, his counting barely audible as he continues pacing away from us. Hope he comes back, the Initiation's supposed to start in a little bit. Wouldn't want to miss that.

"That was fun," Yang says drily. It was certainly... interesting. I suppose.

"That girl's crabby," says Ruby, shaking her head. Her elder sister nods.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want her stuck on my team," she states, speaking on behalf of the three of us. That Weiss is one girl I would not like to cross anytime soon.

Suddenly, a voice booms through the locker-room speakers.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to-" I recognize the voice. Miss Goodwitch, the woman from the airship yesterday. She was also at the Induction speech too. Poor woman must be buried in work, thanks to being the Headmasters second-in-command after all.

"Well, time for us to rock and roll!" Yang grins wildly, knocking her fists together in a fiery gesture.

"Yeah! Let's do this thing!" Ruby cheers. I give them both an affirming hum, pulling my gloves further down my wrist in a tightening motion.

Beacon Cliff, huh? I wonder what's so special about it that it warrants holding the Initiation there?

* * *

The three of us arrive at the designated Beacon Cliff, luckily not situated over the jagged rock-filled coastline but rather, overlooking the sprawling green-infested forest spanning out far into the horizon. I can certainly say it lives up to the 'Cliff' part of its name, it's so steep that I can't even see the bottom. If a normal person fell from this height, they'd be sure to turn into a fine red paste upon impact.

I shudder slightly. I think I'm developing acrophobia.

Then, I spot these strange looking platforms, all emblazoned with the school emblem on them, all lined up around the cliff's edge.

"Uh, guys?" I ask, uneasy. "What are those things?"

"Uncle Qrow never taught you about these?" Yang raises an eyebrow. I shake my head, humming my answer. Am I supposed to know? Qrow had a fair share of weird training methods that he employed but, none of them included metallic platforms at the side of a cliff.

"They're launching pads. We had a few of them back at Signal," Ruby answers. My eyes bulge. Launching pads?! But... but they're pointing at the cliff! Why would...

There's no way. That's crazy. No, I take that back. Crazy is Ruby ingesting so many sweets at once that it'd give a normal person diabetes twice. Crazy is Yang punching that machine so hard that it burst into a thousand pieces like a metallic piñata. Crazy is Tai using the bathtub once to fill up a river of sauce for chili night!

That isn't crazy; that's suicidal! I doubt even if I had twice the Aura capacity that I'd survive the fall without breaking every single bone in my body.

"Hey, don't worry about it! Landing strategies are easy," Yang pats, more like smacks, me on the shoulder. "You're good with Warbreaker. All you've got to do is use it to land yourself a spot on the ground."

I know she's trying to be helpful and all, but that little bit of advice deserves a weak glare. Warbreaker is a gun. It was intended to be a gun: it was built as a gun, it shoots bullets like a gun, it's a gun. Not a parachute. I let out a small sigh.

"It's okay. I'll... figure it out." 'Figure it out' isn't one of my better ideas but, it's not like I can back out now when I've come so far.

We each take our places on the launch pads. The metal clunking, cranking and clanking they make causes me to shiver slightly. The paranoid part of my brain tells me that this thing could go off at any moment, hurling me into the air prematurely. I hold my arm tightly, trying to shake the idea out of my head. It'll be fine. I'll be fine. It'll all be fine.

"Wait up!" A familiar voice cries out. We, myself and the rest of my classmates, turn our heads to see a blonde boy with white armour running ragged towards us. "Don't start without me!" With his chest heaving and his face an unattractive red, Jaune patters to a stop on the very last pad next to me just in the nick of time. Finally granted time to rest, Jaune bends over and sucks in some much-needed fresh air. "Oh geez... Oh man..." He grumbles. "Stupid... Heavy... Armour..."

It's at times like these that I'm glad I prefer to travel light.

"Mister Arc, is it? Very glad you decided to join us," Professor Ozpin says drily, Miss Goodwitch flanking him. "Now that we're all here, we can now begin your Initiation." He takes a sip of his coffee, his posture not slacking once since we arrived. As he goes to speak, I brace my chest. "Now then, for years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." We look over his shoulder, towards the 'Emerald Forest.'

Grimm roam freely in this land. If the Entrance Exam was created to rigorously test our abilities, then this Initiation must be the application of these skills on the battlefield. I can see the logic; being able to hit a target extremely hard is all fine and good but, it won't mean anything if a Grimm gets the better of you.

I'm ready this time.

Miss Goodwitch continues for the Professor, branching us into the much talked about subject this morning: teams. When will we be forming them?

Today.

Murmurs start popping up within the crowd. I give Ruby a glance and she greets me with a very confident smile. I return the smile, albeit not nearly as confidently, and give her an acknowledging nod.

Professor Ozpin takes over once again, pressing the importance the formation is and how vital it is that we find someone we can work with.

Ruby grins brightly, flashing me a peace sign. My own smile doesn't brighten but I do work up the courage to flex my index finger and pinky in a 'Rock on' gesture. Haven't broken that one out in a while. We both know what we're doing. We're on the same wavelength.

"The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Something inside of us breaks, we can see it in the other's eyes. Ruby looks like she just seen a nuclear explosion first hand, staring into a fiery blaze. I feel like a spiked five-foot hammer has been thrust into my gullet, preventing me from breathing. The partners are random. There's no choice in the matter.

Our plan has fallen apart.

"Oh, _crud_!" She cries, falling to her knees in disbelief. A squeal barely makes its way out of my mouth before I slap a hand over to keep it shut.

The Professor and teacher continue to explain the rules. My mind's still whirling from the bomb that was just dropped on us but I still understand the gist of it. Meet partner: kill everything in your way, find relic, come back, try not to die. Easy enough to understand. He asks us if there are any questions.

Just one: how did everything suddenly go so wrong?

The launching begins. One by one, all the students furthest to the left of the cliff are tossed right into the air with just a few seconds thrown in-between launches. We're the furthest to the right. We still have time. Ruby bounds up to her feet.

"Okay! Okay! This is fine. We can handle this. Uh..." She starts snapping her fingers, like the answer will magically appear if she does it hard enough. "Oh! Eren, remember those flares we put in Violet Vigil? We could use those to find each other in the forest!" Sounds like a solid idea. Except...

"Uh, Ruby? We didn't put in those flares, remember? There wasn't enough room because of the bayonet mechanism," I reply, sheepishly scratching my neck. Really starting to regret that decision right about now. Her smile falters slightly but she remains undeterred. The line of launching students draws closer. As my blood starts pumping, I recall something from three months back.

"Wait, what about that radar you were planning on installing into Crescent Rose? So, you'd always be able to find her?" I jostle slightly, time slowly withering away. "What happened to that?"

"Oh, yeah! That thing," she smiles fondly. "Yeah... It blew up." Her expression deadpans faster than a sardonic dentist.

"Ah. Crap," I say simply. So it did. None of us have any idea how she managed to pull it off, either. Of all the rotten luck.

"Don't want to rush either of you two but," Yang announces from her side. Ember Celica pops from its bracelet form as Yang puts on her aviators and rolls her neck. "It's show time!" She seems far too happy about what's going on here! The line's almost here. We're running out of time!

"Oh boy, oh geez, oh man," Ruby scrambles around desperately, chapping her knuckles against her skull. "Think! Think! Think! Think! Uh..." She turns towards me, her speech replaced with severe gnawing at her lips, a plan just barely within arm's reach. "You... You follow me!" She declares snappily. "You go after me in the line. Just watch where I go and... we'll try meeting up that way!"

"O... okay!" I nod briskly. It's not exactly the brightest plan we've ever come up with but, it's better than nothing. I twist my body towards the forest, trying my best to mimic my fighting form without my rifle. Letting out a huge cheer, Yang is thrown out into the distance. I count the time gap in my head. One. Two. Three.

"Find me!" Ruby shouts as the pad hurls her away. It's only myself and Jaune now. He's chattering to the Professor about something or other but, I'm not in the position to care too much. Under my breath, I start counting down.

"Three..." My knees are shaking terribly. "Two..." My heart is pumping madly. "O... One!" Oh god. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath for what's to come next.

The mechanism clicks and I'm flung forward.

* * *

 **A/N:** I think the running theme with this story is going to be 'That scene took longer than expected.' I was originally planning to have Eren meet his partner this chapter but, with how long it turned out to be, I decided to push it to the next chapter. I am such scum~

Not much to say about this one to be honest. The main focus has been on trying to get the Weiss, Jaune and to a lesser extent Pyrrha characters right as well as displaying the altered dynamic from that whole debacle. Unfortunately, as much as I want to, I can't immediately just jump into the new stuff quite yet. Eren is just a stupid teenager who doesn't have much in the ways of influence so, I have to alter things slowly and start some kind of snowball effect.

Hopefully with the way these scenes are being written, they feel fresh and easy to read. Frankly though, I feel far more comfortable when I'm writing my own original scenes. Once the Initiation portion's over and the new teams have been established, I can go back to doing my own thing.

Also, for those curious as to why Eren knows nothing about RWBY, I have left a few hints in the first chapter as well as this one. I don't have any intentions of having Eren find out about RWBY as it would pointlessly break immersion but, if you think you figured it out, shoot me a PM and see if you got it right.

Thank you very much for reading! What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Leave a review and tell me how you feel. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Encounter in the Emerald Fores** t

Wind blasts in my face as we arc down towards the forest, my watery eyes blurry from rapid gusts and my ears guzzling gales like a wind tunnel. I stretch my body wide, figuring that slowing down my speed would make my descent more manageable.

Add a coin to the wrong jar. The barrage of wind rocks me from all sides, threatening to turn me over and spin me out. If that happens, there's no way in hell I'll recover. Not to mention, with the momentum I'd build up, I'll plummet straight into the ground with the force of a bullet train. Aura broken. Bones broken. Dead.

Stifling a yelp, I fight back against the violent current, wrestling my limbs into place to keep myself stable long enough. I need to focus.

Squinting, I search for a fluttering red cape and a gigantic scythe. After a few rushed seconds of darting my eyes around, I spot a red dot closing in on the ground emitting several bright lights. That's her. It has to be Ruby. I remain fixated, zoning it as she descends to the forest when through the white noise, I hear a scream come from beside me.

For only a second, I turn my head to the right. Shooting past me, spinning faster than a hamster wheel, is the blonde haired knight from earlier.

Jaune. He's spiralling too fast. There's no way he can recover! H-he needs help. I...

If I straighten my posture, I might have enough velocity to catch up with him. I have no idea how I'll land for both of us but I'll figure that part out later, I don't have the time to think now.

I suck in a breath, arching my back. As I lean forward, the wind intensifies making me grit my teeth. The speed rattles my brain but it's doing exactly as I hoped it would, closing the gap between me and the freefalling Jaune. My body shakes and my senses numb. He's just within arm's reach. I stretch out my hand, aiming for his arm: shoulder, armour, anything. The wind jostles me about but I press on.

I need to grab him. I'm mere fingertips away.

Closer. Closer!

I swipe for his shoulder!

I miss.

No, worse than that, I over-extend myself and a harsh blowing gale spins me around for my failure. With a loud yipe, I counter-balance the spin drastically to regain control and immediately return to the spread formation without a second thought. Blinking, I look back towards him and...

He's gone. Jaune's gone. There's no trace of him. I...

I shake my head. Maybe... maybe his Aura _will_ take it? Maybe he'll be okay? I mean, if there's anything I've learned in the last six months is not to assume I understand everything. F-far crazier things have happened. He could still be okay...

Another gust shoves me back into reality. Right, still falling.

I peer back up at where Ruby's distant figure used to be. Unsurprisingly, the sky is now completely bereft of the other students and more importantly, Ruby. The thought of smacking myself upside the head tempts me. She gave me one job and I blew it. Yang's completely disappeared too so, I can't even follow her. I'm in this thing alone.

Another gale causes me to struggle back into position. Those tall trees are starting to come into head-bashing distance now. I need to find some way to land.

'Use Warbreaker,' Yang said but, I don't know how. Transcending over terrain had never come to mind during its development. Several ideas were proposed between Ruby and I over the under-barrel but, beyond that, it's solely a monster-killing weapon. To be honest, the bayonet isn't even all that great with that either.

My eyes widen slightly. The bayonet.

I reach a shivering hand around take Warbreaker off my back. It might not be any good at harming Grimm but, it has reach and durability. If I stab it into one of the trees with enough force, the blade should bury into the bark. At least, I hope it will. The barrel doesn't offer much beyond leaving a couple of random bullets to remember me by.

I heave the gun into my shoulder, popping the blade with a click of the button, and scour for a decently sized tree to break my fall.

There, just above the main threshold of the forest level, is a thick-barked tree with several branches to latch on to. It's perfect. Careful not to repeat my earlier mistake, I gently shift my weight towards the allocated tree. I lift the gun up into the air and prime myself for the inevitable, and potentially horrific, collision. Contact in five. Four. Three.

Two.

One!

Not missing the beat, I slam the bayonet into the tree. With the added momentum strengthening my strike, the blade firmly pierces the wood up to the base before halting, safely embedded. Just as I hoped it would.

I, on the other hand, aren't as lucky. As the velocity carries my attack, so too does it carry me, driving me shoulder-first into the tough tree emitting a booming cracking sound on impact.

Fire engulfs my arm. An awful screech escapes my mouth, my arm and legs dangle helplessly as the only thing preventing me from falling thirty feet is my only good arm clinging onto Warbreaker - safely sunken into the tree. I bite my tongue, waiting for the agony to wash over me like it has so many times before, constantly reminding myself that my arm isn't actually broken and that it's all in my head.

I wiggle my finger, feeling slowly begins to return to left side. If I want to get technical, my plan did succeed - It did what I was looking for it to do. It just didn't do it as efficiently -and painlessly- as I'd like.

A lack of preparation will do that.

As I hang off of Warbreaker, I notice a branch only a few metres away. There's a small gap between us but, the mechanism in my gun is very resilient. If I retract the bayonet at the right time, I should be able to make it with Warbreaker in hand.

Wincing, I lift up my remaining arm and grab onto the space between the barrel and the scope. With a thumb trained on the button, I kick my legs up and start swinging to and fro. To and fro. To and...

Click. The bayonet retracts. Arms outstretched and with my gun in hand, I launch towards the branch. An airy 'Oof!' wheezes out as I successfully latch on. Not daring myself any time to drop, I scramble over the top of the branch and rest my back against the tree for stability, something that's been sorely missed over the last couple of minutes.

However, I'm not ready to settle down quite yet.

Tapping on every single one, I check my gear. Warbreaker: Here. Ammo bag: Here too. Scroll: somehow didn't fall out of my pocket. Everything is as I left it. Thank god.

"Jesus Christ..." I let out a relieved breath, rubbing my eyes. My heartbeat's still pounding away as it usually does and my throat is as clogged as a wretched toilet but, nevertheless, I've landed. It's over. At least, that portion of the test is anyway. That madness was only the beginning. I still need to find Ruby, find the temple, grab one of the relics and return. All the while fighting monstrous man-eating Grimm along the way. The very thought makes the very soul feel weary. Well, if there's anything I take away from this little fun-ride it's that I can now safely tell people the difference between riding a motorcycle and reckless sky-diving.

One is an exhilarating experience, and the other will give you several fatal heart-attacks simultaneously.

"Landing strategy, huh..." I say exasperated. I hope they don't use this method of transportation regularly. Launching students through the air without any guarantees that they'll land safely? It's... reckless. It's unethical! I-it's crazy! All of it! Crazy!

God. I hope I never have to do that again.

It still boggles my mind that Qrow never told me anything about this. Not even once. We've been training together for so long, he had to have said something that should've given me an inkling that this was going to occur. If not the Initiation, then the fact that launching your students is apparently a normal academic activity.

I unsheathe my Scroll. My instincts are telling me that I'm misremembering something. A morale from an obscure lesson that I had dismissed as 'Lazy Qrow being lazy.' I flicker through the lesson summaries I jotted down in my notepad app, reminders of given advice on what to do and how to properly act while on the battlefield. Well, that's what it mostly consists of anyways. Sometimes Qrow would phone it in and give me advice as helpful as a moral from a late eighties drug PSA.

Lesson Eight: Don't smoke. It's unhealthy and the chicks don't dig it.

He also told me that for lessons Forty-Nine, Fifty-Four and Sixty-One. My mentor, everyone.

Lessons Nineteen and Twenty-Six: Don't get caught cheating as it's only cheating if you get caught.

He... taught Ruby for far longer than he ever taught me. Why do I have this sickening feeling that she's secretly a mini-Qrow waiting to explode?

"Eck!" I blech. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. Better move on.

Lesson Twenty-Five: Improvisation is a must have skill for... Any... Huntsman to possess. You'll be put into situations that you won't always have a strict strategy. Learning to think on the fly will save your life one day.

He did tell me. He didn't say it out loud or anything, but the hint's definitely there...

Which means he _did_ know about the launchpad! He didn't forget about it at all. He just wanted me to find out the hard way! My hand starts shaking the Scroll, visually Qrow's neck in its place. I bet he's laughing his bloody head off right now, the arse! The twat!

"The _Jerk!_ "

* * *

Warbreaker's barrel brushes past the bramble as I peek out from behind the bush.

Cautiously, I scan around the immediate area, fully aware that a Grimm could charge out at any moment. Better safe than dead. With the coast seemingly clear, I timidly take a step forward. No reaction, yet. Finger on the trigger, I burst out from my position as my aim darts around for any sign of life. Checking your blank spots is an absolute must for anyone who doesn't want to be caught off guard. Or, in my case, when you can't afford to be taken off guard.

After a few seconds of searching, I let out a breath and lower my gun. This area's empty too. No sign of anyone.

Taking out my phone, I check the message I sent to Ruby.

 _'Lost you. Had an incident. In the middle of nowhere. Don't know where you are. Text me back.'_ Right next to the message is a buffering circle, spinning round and round monotonously as it has done for the last thirty minutes. No matter where I go, this damn thing just won't go away. The signal never goes anywhere above a single bar and even then, it might as well be completely gone.

It's like it's being... jammed or something. Did they know that we might try this? It wouldn't surprise me if they did. Though, it doesn't make it any less vexing.

I let out another sigh, resting a finger on my chin. With no clue where Ruby or Yang are, I don't have much other choice than to pick a direction and keep walking. Right, left, or forward? It's much of a muchness really.

Pulling the gun up to attention again, I veer off to the right. It's not exactly a calculated decision, it's more of a gut feeling than anything else. There's no distinction I can make from so little the forest itself gives me.

Still, the Emerald Forest more than earns its name. Lush green leaves, green grass, green fauna. The only thing I can see that isn't green besides the trees themselves are the, ow, rocks. Compared to this, the forest back in Patch might as well be a desolate wasteland. I'm surprised this place hasn't magically transformed into a sprawling jungle for all the green it sprouts.

All of a sudden, the leaves start rustling. An unnatural chilly breeze blows through my bones. Shuddering, I stop in my tracks and huddle my arms around my waist.

This wind feels... familiar. Not from the house, but more recently. It's stronger than I remember it, startlingly so. Intense, irritable and very frustrated. It's the kind of feeling that I wouldn't want directed towards me.

I shake my head. I should keep moving. I really don't find want to find out what incident's causing that.

I hope Jaune's okay...

Suddenly, an explosive boom rings in my ear. My aim snaps up to attention. West, five hundred metres away if my ears are correct. It's a fair distance away from my position but not horribly so. If I run fast enough, I could be there in less than half a minute.

A few more rounds go off. My ears twitch slightly as I try to make them out. From the few I've encountered so far, weapons tend to have unique firing sounds in order to identity them. Warbreaker's no different even with its simplistic design: swift, sleek, something audible but chances are, you won't hear it go off until after the bullet had made contact.

This one sounds, if I'm hearing it correctly, rough, clunky, powerful and...

Fiery. Like... High-impact concussive incendiary shotgun rounds. I know that weapon. That's Ember Celica.

 _That's Yang!_

Without a moment to lose, I take off in the direction of the gunfire: sprinting through enclosed patches of trees, ducking under branches, leaping over overgrown roots and generally avoiding everything that stands in my way. Despite my lack of stamina, I don't dare slow down. I don't have any idea how many Grimm Yang is fighting right now. It could be a single Beowolf: a whole herd of them or...

I quicken my pace, the gunshots loudening with every step. I'm almost there. I have to be. I can hear the trees shake from the conflict just up ahead. Almost. Almost!

For but a second, I notice the ground quiver. That's all the warning I'm given as, out from the cluster of trees, rages a hulking black mass charging straight at me.

 _Move!  
_  
Forgoing any sense of grace, I hurl my body out of the beast's trajectory. As I roll with movement, I hear the monster smash through the thick line of trees that have taken my place, wrecking them, shattering the wood into tiny little pieces that wouldn't even pass for splinters. Sawdust kicks up the resulting wreckage, coating the area in a heavy, almost toxic, amount. It's like a smokescreen, cloaking the rampaging Grimm.

Then, I see it, walking out from the debris like it just broke through cardboard. Black fur: a gargantuan bear-like frame, bones spiking out of its flesh horridly like they've been forced out, claws that could crush me with but a stomp, and those same dreadful burning red eyes I've been lucky enough to only encounter twice in my lifetime. It growls at me, wriggling the bits of tree sticking to its back with a jarring shake. It stares at me, fixated on me with blood in its eyes with every single step it takes rocking the ground.

This is nothing like a Beowolf. It's worse. Far, far worse.

Ursa.

Warbreaker's rattling rings in my ears, a searing heat burns, and every second I spend looking at this abomination makes it harder and harder for me to breath. I know what this _thing_ is, I know exactly what it can do.

 _Crush. Break. Devour._

I-I...

I can't-

...I grip my arm tightly. No. I can deal with this. This is what I've been training so hard for. Remember Qrow's very first lesson:

Don't lose your cool and use your head.

Through the nostrils, I take in a deep soothing breath. I didn't just training and spend time with the family these last six months: I've read, I studied, I learned everything I possibly could about the Grimm, anything that would give me an edge. Information was scarce but Ursai aren't complex creatures. They're deadly, no doubt, but they're not invincible. Nothing is.

Yang's just up ahead. I can still the resounding burning blasts from Ember Celica so I know she's still okay, fighting the rest of the Ursa pack most likely. If I run, the Ursa will give chase. If I stay and take it head on, I'll forfeit any tactical advantage while playing to my disadvantages. With that as the case...

Mm. I nod to myself. That could work.

The Ursa stalks nearer, the earth rumbling with every step from its gigantic paws. With that in mind, I twist my back foot in the direction of Yang. As the beast snarls in a deep powerful pitch, I carefully arch my back, slowly twisting my body around...

And I dash for the trees.

The Ursa roars, its thundering footsteps signal that it's giving chase. I'd be stupid to think that it wouldn't. Using its stomps as a measuring stick, I keep the distance between us in mind as I race towards Yang's location.

Gradually, though it's by no means slow, I feel the monster gaining on me as I expected it would. If we were out in the open, this would present a problem. But we're not out in the open, not like before.

Warbreaker isn't my only weapon here.

Before the Ursa can pounce, I hurl myself out of its sights, planting my shoulder behind the nearest tree in a bid to use it for cover. With its bulky mass slowing it considerably, the Ursa is forced to halt its forward momentum to turn. Opportunity presents itself. Popping out from behind the tree, I fire a volley into the demons meaty hide. One. Two. All three shots make their mark.

The beast doesn't even flinch, its movement doesn't slacken or stutter in the slightest like I was firing BB pellets instead of real bullets.

The Ursa swings. I hurl myself away from its reach. A mighty claw swipes my cover aside, cutting through the wood like paper and chucking it away powerfully. I give the remaining pieces a second look. Aside from a few misshapen pieces sprinkled with torn leaves and sawdust, there's nothing left of that tree. It's gone, destroyed completely. A bead of sweat sheepishly runs down my forehead.

Okay. Message received: Don't get hit. Glad we got that covered.

With a renewed bloodlust in its eyes, the Ursa slashes in an upward motion. I jump back as its claws carve up a wide portion of land right where I was standing but that's not where it stops. It launches towards me, clawing at me from every angle. Every time I sharply move out of its range but it doesn't leave me alone. One attacks blends into another attack, every sign of an opening blotted by an onslaught of wild sharp claws smashing the surrounding trees to bits in its bid to end my life.

One tree smashes, another crumbles to dust, and another more crashes to the ground with an incidental slash.

My dodges start to lose their lustre, beginning somewhat comfortable to weak and almost desperate in manner. I grit my teeth. I can't keep going start this. The monster never lets up and it's only going to end when one of us tires.

I don't think I'm putting myself down when I say that it's going to be me.

The attacks stop but only for a millisecond. Instead of blurring straight into its next stream of attacks, the Ursa takes a simple step closer towards me. Not exaggerated that it costs itself time and it lessens the gap between us. An attack from this range is going to hit. My usual rolling won't be enough to dodge it.

 _Shit._

The monster lifts up its claw high, telegraphing its attack. Wide. It's almost a certainty that the strike will connect unless...

My legs squint, my body falling towards the ground, flattening myself against it as much as I possibly can.

The Ursa strikes! Its claws scuff both my hair and the tip of my nose but otherwise, it misses the mark. I let out a small breath. If I was any slower with my movement, that scuff would've been a colossal direct hit.

The next one might if I don't _move!_

A subtle yelp leaves my lips as I just barely roll out of the way of a claw drilling deep into the earth I was laying on. Rocks crackle, pebbles shift and clumps of dirt kick up from the deadly impalement. The demon's breath is husky but it's by no means drained. This is starting to get out of hand. This thing needs to die and it needs to die _now._

As it recovers from its finishing blow attempt, I switch Warbreaker from burst to single fire and aim for the one place that I would loathe to be hit in.

The gun clunks recoil as it fires. The bullet flies.

Straight into the Ursa's right eye.

It howls. Loudly. Pain echoing deep into the forest as it writhes and splutters, body shaking the earth. In agony and obviously very displeased, the Ursa slices one of the trees haphazardly, causing it to fall right in front of him. That'll hopefully grant me a little reprieve so I can catch my breath. A small smile crops up onto my face.

If I were fighting a bull Grimm, I'd say that I really hit the _bulls-_ eye!

I feel Ruby mentally slapping me over the head for that one.

Jokes are good, keeps the mind calm and focused. Being too reckless is quite evidently a deadly trait to have on the battlefield but, even worse is to be too serious and let the stress consume you. Calm, focused and limber: That's the way to go.

I pull up my gun again, aiming for the second eye when...

Rustling. Up above. I snap up, gasping. For a second, I believe I see something jumping out of the branches. Another Grimm?! Jesus Christ, no. I still haven't dealt with the first one yet.

Which I have taken my eyes off of, breaking one of Qrow's most important lessons.

Never let your opponent out of your sight.

I turn around but it's already too late. With a mighty roar, the Ursa throws the fallen tree towards me. My distraction cost me dearly. There's no time for me to avoid this one. The rough bark slams into my stomach, forcing the air out from my lungs as I'm thrown into yet another tree. The cracking and snapping barely registers as my world goes numb with unparalleled anguish.

Hot. All I feel is molten hot heat screaming from my spine. Though I know it not to be true, my senses keep telling me that I can't feel my legs. I'm paralyzed, well and truly. It's not true _yet it is._ But it isn't. My Aura is still intact, it can't be true. It's not true. It's not true!

Is it?

I feel my toes wiggle. It's not true. I'm fine. Stop scaring yourself, you moron.

Focus. I need to keep moving, or else the beast will make it true. Feeling my breath return to me, I groan painfully and take in where I am: Lying on top of the same fallen tree with Warbreaker dropped a few feet away from me.

I hear a scream. No, not just a scream, a war-cry and the Ursa howling. I turn my head slightly, noticing the monster standing on its hind-legs with its head pulled back, its empty eye-socket oozing some sort of black substance. I don't know what the hell is happening but I notice that its neck is exposed.

I need to kill it now.

Adjusting to the weight of my legs, like a fawn walking for the very first time, I heave my legs over the log and hurl myself towards my gun. With it in-hand, I stumble back onto my feet, clicking the button to unholster the previously concealed bayonet. Then, as I feel my Aura slowly soothe and rejuvenate my legs, I step forth and leap! Thrusting my bayonet squarely into the Ursa's neck and, with a press on the trigger, a single bullet shoots through, piercing its skull.

I watch closely as the light from those evil red eyes leave its mortal frame.

It's done. It's gone.

Certain the beast is dead, I draw out the knife. The corpse falls limply to the ground as I stumble away, the flesh evaporating into a thick black miasma. As it leaves this world, for the first time in my life, I hope there is an afterlife. Because hell is a far more fitting punishment for these creatures than a pit of eternal darkness.

Good riddance.

As I watch the Ursa disappear, a pair of eyes glance at me from beyond the dark energy. The clouding miasma blocks them from my sight but I can be certain that someone is indeed there. The very same person responsible for intervening before the Ursa could capitalize on my prone body. I peer closely, wary not to stick my face too close to the miasma.

As the corpse finally dissipates, the first thing my mind registers is a striking shade of...

Yellow.

No, that's not quite right.

Amber. Amber eyes, bright enough that it almost appears like they're staring straight into my soul.

It's a girl with long hair that's as black as ink, wearing a simple yet oddly peculiar-looking black bow. Her lips form a thin line as she settles her sword onto her back with a flick, her expression fine and unwavering. There's an aura generating from this girl. Not the Aura from the soul but rather, a natural mystique about her. I don't quite understand it and yet, that's the appeal.

Who is she?

Quietly, the girl matches my gaze. The gravity of such an act doesn't pass me by. I haven't forgotten what Professor Ozpin told us back on the cliff. If the plan with Ruby hasn't fallen apart yet, it certainly has now.

This mysterious girl has just become my partner.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have it! The quiet and timid Eren's partner is the equally quiet and moody Blake Belladonna.

Yes, she's here. She hasn't gone anywhere else, the train assault still happened, she was there at the Entrance Exam, she's here. She's in and now she's partners with the walking embodiment of awkward silence. Truly, their conversations will consist of such legendary wit and impeccable banter!

In all seriousness though, I think Eren and Blake are going to make for a pretty interesting dynamic. While they are very similar, there are some very key differences between them that'll give me enough material to work with. Though, according to the writing team behind RWBY, Blake is apparently one of the hardest characters to write for. Meaning if I haven't been doing well on the whole 'Portraying canon characters correctly' deal then, we're all in for a hard time.

I'm really surprised nobody guessed Yang as Eren's partner. Given that all four canon partners are foils of each other, out of everyone, Yang is Eren's closest foil. In many ways, Eren is probably more Yang's foil than Blake is. Hm. Strange.

So, what do you think of the Eren/Blake duo? Good? Bad? Leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - Silence and Sharp Tongues  
**

I don't move a muscle, my body turned to stone by the mysterious girl's steely stare.

Several lengthy seconds pass as neither of us say a word. The only evidence that the pair of us are still breathing are the erratic heartbeats bumping in my chest and the slight flickers from the girl's eyes, scanning me for any obvious deficiencies before settling back to their original state.

It's at this point I realize that I'm gawping like a total idiot.

 _Moron._

I avert my gaze, peering down at the fallen foliage like I'm suddenly a professional botanist. My shoulders scrunch up, bracing for a scathing put-down or a snarky comment. Yet, it never comes.

Come to think of it, it's been almost half a minute and she still hasn't said anything. I sneak in a small glance. She's still standing there, watching me with no indication that she plans of saying a thing. It's as though she's expecting me to make the first move but she's not giving me any signals to do as such.

Am I supposed to do something? What do I do?

"Eren!" A familiar voice yells out. Bursting from behind the brush, two bright-yellow gauntlets attached to her clenched fists, is Yang, wearing the most unusually agitated glare on her face. A flash of red passes for a mere moment, though, it could've just been my imagination. Regardless, her expression cools as soon as she spots me. "Eren!"

"Y-Yang!" I splutter. "Y-you're-"

"You're okay!" She finishes, jogging towards me without even a puff. She's fine. Of course she's fine. It's Yang. Why wouldn't she be fine, you idiot? "How did you- Woah. What the heck happened here?" Her feet skid across the ground as she stops, looking over the debris left over from my battle with her hands firmly on her hips. She gives Warbreaker an eyeballing. "Are you hiding a grenade launcher in that thing?"

"N-no! No, I just..." I reply, feet fidgeting. "Had a little encounter, that's all."

"An 'Encounter,'" Yang says flatly. "Uh huh, and what's that then?" She points behind me, to the tree I was previously crushed against, barely holding itself aloft as it wavers from side to side. It's still up, surprisingly, but it's sporting a rather small human-shaped indent and one gigantic crack spanning its circumference.

"...An unfortunate lack of damage control?" I answer with a meek shrug. My words are swiftly emphasized by a booming bump and thump of broken branches and bark falling to the ground. Yang's smirk is all I need to tell me what happened. A sheepish smile passes before I quickly shake my head. "Okay, look, that's not important. That's been dealt with. Have you seen Ruby?" Her smirk fades.

"No. I thought you two hatched some grand plan to partner up?" She asks. At the use of the word 'Partner,' I instinctively look over at the Mysterious Girl, arms folded as she scowls at the trees. Yang's eyes follow mine, glinting a tad as she instantly catches on. "Which I can see is going really well." That's putting it mildly. The girl casts her eyes towards us. Suddenly put on the spot, I hesitantly raise my hand and wave at her like a confused child. The girl doesn't offer a reaction, going back to watching the trees as if a gigantic spider Grimm will pop out from it.

Are... are those a thing? Oh god, please don't let those be a thing!

"She seems... nice," Yang says uneasily. It's not her problem to deal with, that's all on me, so I turn the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"I screwed up. I lost Ruby during the fall. I have no idea where she is now," I tell her, tension rising through with my voice. I know I'd be making the same mistake twice in a matter of minutes but, it's difficult not to feel the slightest bit anxious.

The Grimm are everywhere.

"Well, we'll just have to keep looking then," Yang answers with a chipper smile. "The three of us are heading to the same place anyway. We're bound to meet up with her at some point. It'll be alright." I pause...

Then, I nod. "Yeah. Ruby's a great fighter anyway. She'll be okay." It doesn't quite have the same amount of power when I'm the one saying it but, if it's her words I'm bounding off from, it makes it far easier to believe.

I give my mind a quick jostle. What the hell am I like? Of course it'll work out. Hell, maybe she hasn't even found a partner yet?

It might seem that I'm reach but, if Yang and I managed to last this long before meeting anybody in the forest, who's to say that Ruby hasn't had the same luck? It's possible. I think...

Speaking of Yang, right now, she's grinning a smile so wild that it can only be described as being devilishly proud of herself. For what? I have absolutely no idea and, to be honest, it's starting to give me the creeps.

"W-what? What are you smiling about?" I stutter.

"Oh nothing," she sing-songs, almost obnoxiously jubilant. "Well, gotta go!" ...Huh?

"Wait, where are you going?!" I exclaim. Yang halts, already turning away to rush deeper into the dark depths of the Emerald Forest. Almost like she failed to understand why I'm stopping her in the first place, she furls her eyebrows.

"Uh, you've already found your partner. Now, I gotta go find mine," She states, as though the answer's blatantly clear, and continues pulling away to leave.

I call out again. "W-wouldn't it be safer if we all go together? We don't know what else is out there!"

"You'll be fine! Don't worry about it," she grins, eliciting a faint frown. That's not what I meant. "Keep an eye out for Ruby! I'll see you back at the cliff!"

"Y-Yang!" I cry, reaching out a hand. It's far too late. She's already disappeared through the dense greenery. I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Guess there's no helping it then. "Will do," I say, deflated. So much for finding her together...

Well, it doesn't matter. With me or without me, as long as Yang becomes Ruby's partner, we still have a shot at creating our dream team just like we wanted. I'm pretty much redundant in that area.

Hah, and I haven't even started working yet. The recession hit us harder than I thought.

Regardless, it's out of my hands now. I need to focus on my own issues. First on the agenda...

My partner.

I turn around, expecting to see her standing, still acting as personal security as to make sure that the Grimm didn't catch us with our trousers down. Instead, what I catch is her flowing long dark hair swaying as she begins walking further into the forest, leaving me behind as though I'm somebody else's luggage. Her face is hidden but, I didn't have to be the most socially savvy person in the world to tell that my negligence didn't sit well with her.

Though, I did have to think about it for a sec. I wouldn't blame her if that's her reasoning.

I let out a startled balk as I run after her, almost literally chasing her black coattails. She turns her head briefly, the glint in her eyes stopping me dead in my tracks. Her face is a clean slate, beguiling nothing. Is she upset like I thought she would be? Or, is it pure apathy? I'm completely clueless. Sorting my fringe back into place with noodle fingers, I suck in a breath and choose the safest option.

"S-sorry..." I say, bowing my head.

"Let's go," she speaks plainly. I perk up slightly. That's... a reaction, I suppose? Coughing lightly into an open fist, I retract the bayonet back into its holster and follow the quiet girl.

I steady my pace, keeping in time with her, giving each other a fair few inches for personal space, to not make things any more awkward.

Our feet crunch the dry grass underneath, walking down an unmarked path towards an undisclosed location in the middle of nowhere as I point Warbreaker's barrel at the trees, ready for praying Grimm vying for blood. It's not all too different than what I was doing before the ambush.

In-fact, it's eerily similar to how it was before I encountered the Ursa. Tense, cautious and... quiet.

My eyes linger naturally on the back of the girl's head every time I switch positions. It's been a fair few minutes. She should've said something by now.

It's not that I'm eager to have a conversation alone with a total stranger or anything but, there's a certain pattern that always happens when I'm stuck with someone new.

They introduce themselves: ask for my name, I mumble something, they keep talking, I feel the urge to jump out of a building, it ends and we both leave as awkward as a mattress full of spikes. Granted, there have been exceptions to those turn of events recently, a specific few certainly spring to mind, but that's the general order of things. I guess this is technically an exception too but, it's not in the way I'm used to.

Why isn't she saying anything? Who is she? Why did she save me? This is all so strange.

As I linger on these questions more and more, another question soon arises. If I'm so bothered by all these questions...

Why don't I ask her?

I freeze, fear gripping my heart and squeezing tightly. Me? T-talking? T-to her?!

"What is it?" The girl stops to enquire. Despite my sudden stoppage, she's only about five paces away from me. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't have even noticed before I was at least a hundred miles away.

"U-um..." I stammer, sight trailing away. If there's any time to ask, it would be now. I-it shouldn't be that hard, right? I'll start with her name, get a nice conversation going, and then move onto everything else. It's easy!

Come on. Say something!

I shake my head. "N-n-nothing. I-it's nothing."

Avoiding her eyes, I await her clear annoyance quietly with a hand latching onto my arm.

"Alright," she says, half-heartedly shrugging as she turns around and proceeds to keep walking. I sigh heavily to myself.

I am such a coward.

Then, all of a sudden, a vile gaseous smell slivers into my nostrils. Pinching my nose, I reel at the sickening scent. It's not particularly strong, more a whiff than a haze, but it's significant enough to identify.: Toxic and dirty like cigarette butts burnt against a used ash-tray.

I scowl deeply. It's very similar. Either we're near another student who's a record-setting chain smoker or...

I zone in where the smell is originating from, snapping my eyes up. Peeking through the tightly knit branches, I see an enormous plume of dark poisonous smoke scarring the bright sky blue. You know the saying: Where there's smoke.

It's a fairway away which means, based on its size, that it started a while ago and it's been spreading by quite a margin. It's no danger to us nor anyone who have spotted it already but, to those who were in the vicinity when it started...

I hope Ruby isn't anywhere near that thing.

Rustling. Movement.

Warbreaker clunks as I jump back to attention, eyes darting as I scan around for life amongst the forest brush. Grimm. It has to be them. Praying on us hot off the heels of our last encounter like vultures. Leaves bristle as I search around for the source. Nothing stands out to me quite yet but, with my finger ready on the trigger, I'm ever at alert. I won't be caught off-guard like last time.

More shimming. However, this one's different than the last two. It's distant, not exceptionally but, more than before. It's moving away from me and closer towards...

I strange a gasp, breaking my stance and bolting towards The Girl.

"Look out!" I shout-

Right before a pair of razor-sharp claws carve right into her. An unsuppressed gasp rips out from my lungs. I can no longer see the girl. In the space where she had just been walking, standing menacingly with its wolfish maws bare, is the bone-covered face of a monster I haven't seen in over half-a-year. Turning, it growls intensely, glaring at me with blood in its eyes.

 _Beowolf._

 _It's going to regret that._

Snarling back, I flick the dial, switching to burst-fire, and lock onto its neck. Three good shots will do the trick, kill it before it even has the chance to fight back. However, before I even have the chance...

Sword slices flesh. Without so much as a whimper, the Grimm's head detaches from its shoulders, a clean cut separating the two. Blinking, I gaze up in awe to see The Girl in the middle of the air, flipping gracefully like an Olympic gymnast, with her weapon in hand.

Gravity sets in. The Beowolf falls lifeless, fading away as the others have done. The Girl lands safely, not even wincing at her heels hit the ground. All I can do is stare at her like a complete dumbass.

When did-

How did-

What just happened? The claws definitely made contact, I saw them. Then she disappeared and... Was that her Semblance at work? It happened all so fast, I couldn't process it.

"Ahem," The Girl coughs, interrupting my thoughts.

"R-right," I respond, rubbing my neck. There are bigger things to attend to.

Like the fact that the Beowolf attacked us alone, separated from its pack for one reason or another. A lone brash Grimm taking its chances on two fighters at the same time? Probably. Young Grimm are infamous for pushing their luck too far and getting themselves killed as a result but, considering that it came from the same direction as the fire, I'm willing to bet it was separated from its pack that way and if it's anything like the last time I encountered a Beowolf pack...

"The pack shouldn't be too far away. We should keep moving," The Girl states.

I mumble an affirmation. Killing Grimm, while I'm certainly not against it, isn't a necessity. If we can avoid an encounter and stay on track to the ruins, it's all the better for us. There's no reason for us to go looking for trouble.

A roar booms throughout the forest. Quickly following it are sounds of clashing steel and cracking ice, sounds that no Grimm I know of can make.

"P-people," I splutter. I think we were just given a reason. The pack's even closer than we thought. "We're... helping them, a-aren't we?"

She doesn't offer a reply, dashing towards the clanking of combat with her weapon still in hand. Well, I shrug, at least she's fine with it.

I make chase, making sure I don't let her out of my sight as we speed along towards the ensuing battle. Slashes and clashes become louder with every step we take, intensifying along with the monstrous grunts and groans from the Grimm.

The Girl halts. I slide to a stop next to her, following her sight. I take in a breath.

There's the rest of the pack. More than two dozen Beowolves, pouncing uncontrollably and bombastically at a lone figure adorned in a white dress fending them off with a pair of agile feet and some well-placed thrusts from her rapier.

That's Weiss, the scary girl from the locker room. There's way she can take on that many Beowolves by herself.

She needs help!

My eyes snap to my side, where The Girl should be, only to find that she's nowhere to be seen. I gaze up to see leaves fluttering down, removed from the branches through her momentum. Once more, I sigh to myself.

So much for working together, then...

"Hyah!" Weiss howls, garnering my attention, her rapier coating into an icy blue as she plunges it deep into the earth. Erupting from such an act are multiple conjoined icy spikes, impaling several of the surrounding Beowolves, killing them almost instantly.

My jaw drops at the icicles. I'm not close enough to inspect them properly but, considering I can see a whiff of cold air emanating from the spikes, they're real. That threat earlier wasn't a joke. She's fully capable of utilizing ice. Is that her Semblance? No, that doesn't sound quite right. I feel a kindling, a reminder of an advert frequently running the TV. About what? I can't quite recall but, it's connected. I'm sure of that.

Answers later. Taking the magazine out of Warbreaker, I peek inside, estimating the amount along with the one loaded in the chamber.

Twenty-five bullets. I commit the number to memory. When it's time for me to reload, I won't grant them the extra second. I pop the clip back in, mentally taking note of the many targets to choose from. It's best if I keep my distance. I am using a gun after all. From here or over there, the bullet will hurt all the same.

Weiss stands, fatigued but defiant. The beasts impulsively throw themselves at her wall of ice, a hailstorm of bodies rampant and ferocious. The ice shatters, the Beowolves practically falling over themselves to rush her. She's ready for them, her rapier piercing one of them through the jaw, retaining her offense while still remaining defensive.

She's doing really well. Impressive as it may be, she has her blind spots.

From behind, a frothing Beowolf bounds towards her. Occupied with the ones in front, she doesn't have the time to turn around.

Gun to shoulder. Eye through scope. Burst-mode. Finger on the trigger.

Boom. Three bullets crack the sky. The Beowolf wails as all three make contact with its chest. Its attack has been halted, the monster left briefly dazed from the impact. Not enough to kill it but, as Weiss dislodges her sword from its neck, I don't think I'll have to worry about that anymore.

She doesn't move but, I see Weiss's eyes flicker towards me. It's probably just to register my location, that's all. She's far too focused on her survival to pay me any mind.

Considering the dozens of swarming Grimm, I can hardly blame her.

Those who find themselves distracted by the gunfire are quickly ended. With myself acting as covering fire, Weiss slices and dices the monsters to pieces. My shots rarely ever kill them but they do offer a moment of respite for her to plan her movements accordingly.

More and more Beowolves swamp the place. Reloading accordingly, I dig into my bag for another clip. I should be fine for the time being, I have plenty of ammo, but that's not what's starting to worry me.

This relentless assault is turning into a dog pile. Weiss is dragging her limbs and the Grimm that still live are starting to catch onto my position. Can't exactly help somebody when I'm in trouble myself and there isn't enough room for Weiss to escape yet.

That's when a certain someone decides to join the fray.

Dropping down from the trees, The Girl plunges her deep through one of the wolf's skull before taking what looks to be some kind of grappling hook, attached by what looks to be a black ribbon, and throwing it at another, impaling it through the eye.

However, she's not done yet. Pressing something down on her sword, a loud gunshot booms from the hook, ricocheting off the corpse remaining, soaring through the air and tearing the heads off a couple of other Beowolves almost through sheer force.

Wow. The more fighters I meet, the more Warbreaker feels under-dressed. Well, that's why they're called the best of the best.

Pulling the weapon back into her hands, the mechanical pieces morph from the grappling hook into a thinner, sleeker sword form. Weiss glances back at her, gritting her teeth. Lack of energy, maybe?

Whatever the reason, she doesn't dwell on it for long. Taking full advantage of the situation, the pair go on the offensive. Limps begin to fly: arms, legs, bodies, heads, their blades mutilate the horde, bullets flying from Warbreaker all the while. As the two decimate the pack, I suddenly notice something. Something that may have a hand on why the three of are winning so handily.

There's no alpha. For the sheer amount of Grimm attacking us, they're not acting in the same organised manner they had back in the Patch forest. They're not fighting as a unit, more reckless wretches using the opportunities the other Beowolves are making in order to fight their own battle. No strategy, no tactics, only mindless blood-lust that gets them carved into meaty chunks.

They're not working together. They're working around each other.

No wonder they're dropping like flies. What happened to their leader?

"Weiss!" A familiar voice calls out from the trees. My head tilts somewhat, trying to find a clear view through the vying monsters and the flying corpses. A fourth person? Her partner? Footsteps draw nearer from the other end of the field, metal scraping against metal. Running out from the shade is...

A boy with scruffy blonde hair, a sword and shield in each hand, and a bright white armour plate on his front.

J... Jaune?

"Jaune?!" Weiss screeches indignantly. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay put!"

"I-I know! It's okay! I can do this," he replies with a smile. "I've got your back, partner!"

She visually retches at the word. Before Weiss is allowed even a word of disapproval, Jaune roars, sounds more like repressed screaming honestly, and throws himself towards the nearest Grimm with his sword-arm raised so high that it makes him look like he's waving a white flag. My eyes narrow in how the sword's being held.

It's far too low. If he tries to strike with that, he'll over-arch and lose his grip at best.

"Hyah!" Jaune cries, swing his sword at the Beowolf.

Unfortunately, the beast saw the attack coming a mile away. Dipping its claw down, it strikes up at the blade, knocking it out of Jaune's hand with the ease of disarming a child. The sword flies, impeding itself in the ground several feet away. Blinking, Jaune looks down at his hand, clenching it as though it's invisible. I wish.

"Uh..." Jaune trembles at the large wolf. "Can I redo that?"

A swiping claw scores across his ribs, hurling him against the sturdy bark of a large tree. Jaune lets out an anguished howl as he holds his ribs tightly.

"I-I'll," he coughs horribly. "I-I'll take that as a no."

I wince. The pain must be absolutely dreadful. I know how that feels...

My breath hitches, another gasp breaks out from my lungs. Instead of going after The Girl and Weiss like the rest of its pack, two Beowolves breaking off from the ground and tread closer towards Jaune. Along with the one currently stalking him, he's at a three against one disadvantage with no weapon.

Full Aura or not, those bastards will skewer him alive!

The trio encircle him, their snarling teeth shining black drool. Pressing himself up against his cornered tree, Jaune audibly gulps.

"Heh, h-hey guys!" He giggles nervously. "Uh, you've got some nice-looking teeth there! W-who's your dentist? I'd love to meet him! Heh. Heh..." His smile fades, replaced entirely with a face of pure horror. It's beginning to dawn on him just how bad his situation clearly is.

"P... Please don't."

The wolves pounce. In a last-ditch effort of self-defence, Jaune pulls his shield up, holding it still with both hands, as the monsters vehemently and maliciously bombard him with an almost berserk fury. Despite his best efforts, the blonde boy can't withstand this kind of onslaught and his arms lower, allowing one of the Beowolves to bypass the front and violently rip the shield away from his hands, smashing it into the ground and away from their prey.

With nothing else in their way, the bastards lay into the helpless knight.

A maw bites at his leg: a pair of claws dig at his armour in an attempt to break both it and the boy behind it, and a pair of sharp teeth snap furiously at his neck, stopped only by Jaune's struggling arms, all the while Jaune's is screaming his poor heart out., kicking his legs frantically as the rabid wolf sinks closer towards his neck.

They're going to kill him! Do something, you moron!

Firing another volley at a Grimm attacking The Girl, I spare both her and Weiss a glance.

They'll be fine. They can look after themselves. They're not in the position to help him. My shoulders tense, but I nod to myself regardless. Right. I flip the dial on Warbreaker.

Fully-automatic.

I take my focus away from the raging battle the girls are involved in and, with a heart full of fire and a fresh clip, I unload on the ravenous wolves.

"Get the hell away from him!" I yell. For chewing on his leg, the Beowolf earns two bullets in each of its legs and four across the back. For clawing at his rib-cage, the Beowolf deserves three in its right arm and two in its left leg. For trying to rip out his throat, the Beowolf merits six in its back and three piercing its skull.

The first wave of bullets stop. I roll my shoulders back, popping the magazine out of the gun. Eight bullets totally wasted. I never like using fully-automatic unless it's strictly necessary.

One dead, I grimace. It should've been all three.

As the remaining two howl from the newly-made bullet holes, the clawing one takes an exception to my offerings. With its right arm dangling limply, the wounded beast swerves from its original target and hobbles towards me hungrily.

This one only warrants single-fire, I switch.

Up. Aim. Fire.

The monster shrieks, collapsing as my shot scores in its right leg.

Despite its lack of mobility, the wolf doesn't quit. With its single remaining limb, it digs into the earth, dragging itself closer to me little by little. With every few meters it gains, its tempo slowly increases, going from weak crawling to that of an unrelenting predator. These demons may be soulless, but they are very passionate about ending all our lives.

It doesn't even make it halfway before a bullet nails it in the back of the neck.

Like its cursed brethren, it fades away. Now, for the last one.

While I've been busy dealing with the active Beowolf, Jaune meanwhile has been trying desperately to kick off the surviving Beowolf, still gnawing at his leg. The fact that his leg is still there is impressive enough, but he endured that entire ordeal with his Aura intact? That's a bloody miracle.

Placing the barrel at a sideways angle, I pull the trigger. The back of its head implodes from the execution. Jaune finally kicks the empty corpse off of his leg, pupils narrow and skin sweaty.

I look back to the girls to see how they're doing. Littering the field is a sea of Beowolf bodies leaking that dark substance. Neither one of them look injured so, I think they did just fine without me. Leaving them to it was the right decision.

I let out a breath. It's over. We survived.

Relieved in the knowledge that the remaining Beowolves are dead, I settle Warbreaker on my back. Spinning around, I spot a wobbling Jaune attempting to use a tree as leverage. The memory of the fall remains fresh in my mind.

"Y-you're!" I stutter wildly. "You're alive!" The last time I saw him, he was falling to his death at a hundred miles per hour. Now, here he is, dusting off scuffs of dirt in his hair, climbing to his feet after almost being slaughter by a Beowolf onslaught.

If it were me in his shoes, I'd certainly be dead. No qualms about it. This guy is made of some serious stuff. I'd applaud if I weren't so amazed.

Jaune's eyes widen. He stands up straight, patting himself all over as if to check that he's indeed still altogether. A grand smile begins to grow on his face, large enough that it's almost hysterical. In complete disbelief, Jaune starts laughing.

"H-heh! Hey! You're right! I'm alive," he says, looking at his arms like they're made of metal. Without abandon, he throws them both into the air and cheers, "I'm alive! Woohoo! I'm alive!" Without any warning, Jaune charges at me and wraps me into a great, big hug.

While wearing cold, hard armour.

"Hrk!" I grunt. The air wheezes from my lungs as blood begins rushing to my head.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I get to taste life's sweet nectar once more time! Thank god!" The guy doesn't have much meat on him but, damn if those arms don't pack a lot of muscle. Between him and Yang, I'm starting to think there's something in the water! I-I'm starting to feel a little light-headed.

"N-n-nah. N-no problem," I fumble back, my face a swelling red balloon. P-please let me down!

" _Jaune!"_ Both of us turn at the startling yell. Jaune releases the hug, visibly paling as a fuming Weiss storms towards him, stopping in front of him with her fists on her hips. "What did I tell you about strategy?"

"To... not do anything stupid?" He replies tentatively, smile like a jester that just told an unfunny joke.

"Close, but _no_ ," she hisses. "Our strategy was _you_ stay out of the way and _not_ get yourself _killed_ _!"_

"W-well yeah, but-" Weiss doesn't let him breathe.

"Eh! Eh! No buts!" She shouts, interrupting with a finger. "You were almost mauled by three Beowolves because you charged in like a complete dunce! You're lucky to be alive!"

"I-I know! I know, I made a mistake. A big one! It won't happen again. Scout's honour," he splutters in his fervour, placing one hand on his heart with his other aloft. He laughs awkwardly, wearing a grin so fake that even I can see right through it. Weiss clearly can too, leaning in closely as her severe tone thickens.

"Next time, stay out of the way and don't do anything. Do I make myself clear?"

"...Yes," he mumbles meekly, lowering his head as his arms lose all their vigour.

"Good. Go grab your sword," she orders, twirling on her heels and walking away. With sunken posture, Jaune kneels down and picks his shield, sporting a massive dent in it by the way, grumbling to himself while doing so.

"Good job, Jaune. Really knocked her off her feet," he sighs.

Poor guy. Somebody had to get stuck with her, I suppose. It's just bad luck that it had to be him

"You weren't exactly doing great by yourself," I hear The Girl say pointedly. I turn around. Both her and Weiss are standing across from each other, The Girl with her arms neatly folded while Weiss is sporting an unamused scowl. My body shrinks. Sparks are about to fly. That's not good for any of us. Not with the Grimm still skulking amongst the bushes.

"I'm sorry. Who are you?" Weiss sneers back. Her opponent opens her mouth to reply, prompting me to lean a little closer, but before she's allowed to say, Weiss sticks a hand, turning her head with a hint of haughtiness. "Actually, never mind. I really don't care." I do though, as I grumble quietly. "Truth be told, I didn't need any of you to help me. I had the situation under control."

'Entirely' is a bit an exaggeration. I'm not one to question her abilities or anything but, her movements were starting to lose their fluid motion towards the end of the fight.

Not that I'd tell her that.

"Entire? Hardly. You were having trouble standing up," The dark-haired Girl fires back. I flinch slightly. Not exactly the softest way of putting it...

Weiss glares at her statement. "I was fighting for fifteen minutes straight, _Miss._ Unlike some people, I don't just jump into the middle of a fight when it's convenient."

"No, of course not. You like to get yourself cornered and then whine when somebody has to save you _,"_ she says, a hint of a smirk stretching on her lips.

"Listen here, you!" Weiss yells, pointing accusingly at her. This is starting to get a little fiery. I-I should... step in or, I don't know, do something at least! I gulp lightly, stepping forward to diffuse the ticking time bomb that is this verbal battle. I open my mouth and speak so eloquently.

"U-um..." I stammer. Words refuse to form, just as I should've known they wouldn't. Whatever idea I had of defusing the situation falters as the two girls stare at way, one face a blank slate and the other volatile and irritable.

She is the one that speaks.

"What?! We're quite busy at the moment. Kindly _go away_ ," she growls like a lion. My knees sink closer to the ground. This was a mistake. The fire of this fight is burning far too hot for my meek touch.

"S-sorry..." I apologise, bowing my head and backing away slowly. Best not to anger her any further.

"Wait," she calls out again. I jump up with an unbecoming "Meep!" Lifting up my head, I point a trembling finger towards myself.

"M-me?" I ask, as if she'd be telling anyone else to wait. Idiot.

"Haven't I seen you before?" She asks curiously, her tone a little less aggressive than she was before. My eyes widen greatly. Did she notice me eavesdropping back at the lockers?! She couldn't have not. Yang and Ruby were practically commentating over the entire thing. If she remembers me from back then...

"N-n-no. We-we never met," I stutter, Warbreaker rattling in my arms.

"Hm..." she mumbles thoughtfully to herself. Please don't recognise me. Please don't recognise me! "Come on, Jaune! The ruins should be this way!" She walks away, in the same direction she was heading before the argument. I let out held air. She doesn't remember me. Good, that's good. The last thing I'd want is that anger and frustration in my direction.

"You're heading the wrong way," The Girl states. Weiss stops in her tracks again.

"Excuse me?" She says irritably.

"The Professor said that the ruins would be on the northern end of the forest. You're heading east," she pauses for a moment. "East is not north." She says in a very manner of fact manner. Almost to an insulting degree.

Or maybe she actually meant that as an insult. I'm slow.

"I'm perfectly aware, thank you," she grits out. "And pray tell, how in the world do you know that?"

In response, The Girl holds up her Scroll. Pressing down on the button, the screen pops out to reveal what seems to be a compass. Actually, it is a compass. That's the compass app, the one installed on Scrolls on start-up.

"Oh," Weiss blinks rapidly.

"Woah. I totally forgot we had those," Jaune says, approaching the three of us with his shield in hand. I can hardly blame him, I completely forgot about it too. While mandatory for all Scroll product lines, with the wide variety of map apps available for download nowadays that include a compass along with a digital map to work with, the compass app isn't used all that much anymore except by travellers heading out in the wilderness without any signal. No internet, no digital maps.

"W-well it's not my fault!" She says, rather loudly, turning away in a huff. "My Scroll's out of charge."

"No it's not, you just tried to cal-" Jaune is quickly cut off by a terrible glare from his partner.

"Oh! You're talking about your Scroll? I-I thought we were talking about mine!" He laughs awkwardly, pulling out his own Scroll and flashing the, broken, screen with a plastic smile. "See? All good here! I-I should've said something earlier. Technology, you know? It acts up. Heheh. Heh. Heh..." His laughter soon peters out as quickly as it phased in.

Weiss rolls her eyes, turning her attention back to The Girl with an irritable grimace. "Well, thank you oh so much for that little titbit Miss-" The Girl tries to say her name again but is quickly interrupted once again. "Still don't care."

"Bugger," I mutter to myself.

"But we must be on our way. Time is short and I don't want my grade to suffer. So, goodbye! And good riddance," she growls, not even bothering to hide her disdain through her gritted-teeth.

Still, this doesn't feel right. Terrifying as Weiss may be, splitting off from another group of fighters right after a tiring battle with the Beowolves isn't a very sound strategy. I said it to you and I mean it just as much here: We don't know what other Grimm will be out waiting for us and it'd be much safer if we go together. Separating makes both us and them prey. I contemplate speaking up, before they're allowed to leave.

Just as Weiss is about to leave, I take a foot forward to stop her.

"U-um!" I stutter loudly, feeling the sudden urge to punch myself in the face.

"Gah!" She jumps, giving me an incredulous look. "Oh, you're still here." You mean you forgot? Seriously, you talked to me just a minute ago. She coughs and straightens out her dress. "Right. What do you want?" Her grumpy tone leaves a pressure on my chest. I do my best to try and shake the anxiety aware. All I need to do is tell her the following sentence.

I think it's a good idea if we all stick together.

"N-nothing. It's nothing..." I say instead, like a complete twat. I step back a few paces, giving her some space. M-maybe it's a better idea if I keep my nose out of it...

"It's okay. You can tell us. What's up?" Jaune perks up from behind me, filling with just a sliver of confidence. I mean, if it's okay with him if I ask...

"W-well, um... I-I was just thinking that..." I start. My tongue feels gloopy with saliva but I push myself to continue. "Maybe the four of us... could go together?"

"Like a team-up?" He adds in. I glance at him and nod.

"Y-yeah. We're all heading to the same place, right?" I ask rhetorically. No one has told me to shut it yet so, I keep talking. "I-if we go together, we'd stand a better chance against the Grimm." My feet shift nervously. "If... that's cool with everyone, I dunno. W-what do you guys think?"

"Yeah! I'm cool with it," agrees Jaune, smiling and nodding rather enthusiastically. I suppose after almost being mauled, you wouldn't exactly want to chance it by going alone.

The Girl... shrugs. Alright then. I figured she would've had a stronger opinion considering how she and Weiss were throwing barbs not too long ago.

As for Weiss herself, she appears to be... wrestling with herself. Not literally of course, though it'd be pretty interesting to see someone so... intense, attempt a german-suplex, but everytime it seems like she's about to give us an answer, she shuts her mouth and makes what I can only describe as internal grumbling noises.

She looks at The Girl and scowls deeply. She looks at Jaune and scowls... even more deeply.

"Fine," she sighs. "Fine! You two can come along but, if you get in the way, we're ditching you."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," The Girl snarks. Is that confidence in us holding up our weight or confidence that they won't?

"Now, let's. Go. Before I have an aneurysm," Weiss moans, stomping away... before twisting on her heels and stomping in the correct direction.

"Shut up," she barks at The Girl, who's went from a tiny smirk into a smirk that's somewhat noticeable. Without another word, as she seems to do, she trails behind Weiss, keeping a lofty distance between her and the steaming ice queen. I guess that's that, then. All except for...

"Oh man, come on!" Jaune mutters, patting at the grass like a sniffer dog. "Where did I drop it- Ow! Seriously- Where is-"

It doesn't take me long to figure out what exactly he's looking for. Squinting out in the distance, entrenched into a large patch of grass, is a shiny sword. I think during his pseudo-butchering at the hands of the Beowolves that he's forgotten where exactly it had been knocked into. Lightly jogging towards it, I pry it out of its green casing, almost dropping it on my knees from the weight. This thing ain't no Warbreaker, I can tell you that. With it in-hand, I take it back to the still scavenging Jaune.

"U-um. E-excuse me?" I prompt lightly. "I-I think this is yours?"

"My sword!" He cries, leaping to his feet. With a beaming grin, he takes the offered sword from my hands. "Thanks! My Dad would've killed me if I lost it."

"I-it was nothing. Uh..." I reply, scratching my neck. "Thank you. For... backing me up there."

"Eh, it's no big deal," he says nonchalantly, waving me off. "I miss talking to someone-" He twirls his hand in the air, searching to find the most 'Politically Correct,' term he can possibly fine. "Calmer." I giggle lightly. She's certainly a handful, that's for sure. Morphing his shield into a sheath, stunning me in just how mundane of a transformation it is, Jaune holsters his sword and we begin to walk after the two anti-social girls.

"The name's Jaune Arc. What's your name?" He asks. Feeling a settling sense of routine, I clear my throat.

"Er... Eren," I answer.

"Eren?" Jaune says testing the name. I can already predict what he's about to say next.

"Huh, weird name."

* * *

 **A/N:** Two partnerships founded and neither of them get along very well. Clearly this won't lead to anything dramatic.

This chapter certainly found a way to be a pain. I had to rewrite it at least four times, mostly the Eren/Blake "Talk" and the second half involving Weiss and Jaune. To be honest, I'm still not fond of it. Much self-guessing and re-evaluating interpretations were had, especially with writing Blake still in her distrustful, aloof shell.

Anyways, Weiss and Jaune are partners! Which means that my Ruby/Weiss Blake/Yang and Jaune/Pyrrha readers must all really hate me right now! That's great!

I was originally planning on keeping the other three pairings the same but, between the new dynamic I had going between the two and another dynamic that I think would be interesting, I thought it'd be better explored if the two were on the same team together. Because suffering is my jam and Jaune's the first serving. Don't worry, we'll get to everyone else later. Volume 3 is still very much a thing~

Also, for those who are absolutely sick of the non-Beacon stuff, the next chapter will be the finale of the Induction Arc and the formation of teams! So, look forward to that!

So, what do you think of the new dynamics so far? Good? Bad? Let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is always encouraged.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - On The Board Pt. 1  
**

"Corche... Mors?" I parrot meekly, the titular sword in my hands. "A-am I saying that right?"

"You're close," Jaune replies with a smile. "It's Crocea Mors. Think crochet but, instead of the chet at the end, you say shia."

"Corcea Mors..." I correct myself thusly. Such a fancy name for an equally simple longsword. I had thought, due to a lack of opportunity on his part, that the sword held some form of concealed power: A button to set it on fire, a secret compartment, a carefully placed gun slot used to beguile opponents into believing its simplicity only to surprise them with a bullet to the face.

None of the sort. No buttons, compartments or guns here. Just an ordinary sword for a fairly ordinary guy.

Not that I have any room to judge or anything.

However, tracing the blade with a finger, I can feel a few bumps that don't quite match up with the rest of the blade. Bits and pieces of misshapen steel, indented markings and certain parts of the edge that feel somewhat blunt compared to the rest of it. Considering that Aura, as well as the body itself, also protects clothing and any materials within radius, it's something I feel needs to be addressed.

"U-um, I hate to point it out but, uh, i-it looks a little... worn," I say timidly.

"Woah, what?!" He exclaims, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Jolting slightly, I offer the blade back to him which is swiped away in a yellow blur. He peers closely at Crocea Mors, tongue spilling out as his eyes scan for signs of decay. "No, no, no!" He mutters hastily, teeth chattering. Up and down his eyes go, multi-tasking with his feet as they continue to walk.

Then, his posture softens.

"Phew! Thought I messed it up for a second there," he gives a great sight of relief, the tension in his shoulders melting away.

"It's... okay?" I ask quizzically. Personally, I couldn't tell you the slightest thing about sword maintenance but, I wouldn't want that kind of tearing on Warbreaker if not strictly necessary. Ruby most definitely wouldn't allow any of that on Crescent Rose. She'd have a fit.

Jaune, however, merrily waves me off.

"Yeah! No worries. It's always looked like this. Even when Dad had it," he answers. My eyebrows quirk slightly but he's quick to notice this and clarifies. "It's my Dad's sword."

"A-ah! I see," I gasp. That would make it a hereditary weapon of sorts. A gift from his father most likely. That was rather kind of him.

"Oh, it was also my grandfather's. And my great-grandfather's, and my great-great grandfather's, and-" He stops, pausing to count the amount with his fingers. He mumbles something, shaking his head. "Nope. That's it."

...I think that deserves a few rapid blinks. Yep.

Four generations of warriors? That's four lifetimes of history behind that sword. Four lifetimes of bloody battles and raging wars. That sword isn't just a gift.

It's a tradition. A single sword, one that was part of the lives of four men before, being passed down from one generation to the next. That homey little thing has more background behind it than Warbreaker, Crescent Rose and Ember Celica combined.

"Cool," I gasp, a bright smile spreads across my face. "That's so cool! It's like a relic."

Jaune splutters, almost tripping over himself and eating a nice dinner portion of dirt. He looks at me, staring like I'm a puppy that just learned how to speak english. Did... I say something strange?

"Y-you really like it?" He asks. I bob my head.

"I-I think it's really interesting. Corcea Mors must have lots of stories behind it. I-is that strange?" I prompt. He doesn't say anything, instead vouching for the exact same bewildered expression he's been sporting since I showed interest. "J-Jaune?" I peer closer, spotting a small wet-like substance trailing down his cheeks. Are those... tears? Crying? Why is grinning then?

It soon becomes clear as he fiercely cuddles Corcea Mors."Someone thinks you're cool!" He coos loudly like an overbearing mother. Tears of joy. Over his weapon. He and Ruby would get along famously if they met.

"Excuse me!" Weiss blusters, turning her head. "You two are being too loud! It's irritating! Shut up and stay focused!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" I apologize timidly, taking out Warbreaker and bowing my head.

"Y-yeah. Sorry!" Jaune follows, sheathing Corcea Mors. She groans in response, rolling her eyes as she faces the front again.

"Honestly..." She grumbles to herself, complaining about us no doubt. I wasn't that loud, was I? I mean, I hope I wasn't...

"Hey," Jaune bumps me gingerly. "I'm sorry about Weiss. She can be a little... scathing." Take away the 'Little' and you'd have an accurate description.. "But she's actually a really nice person deep down. See, she actually reale-"

He doesn't finish. His skin pales as he glances to the front to the icy cold eyes of Weiss glaring back into his soul. A medusa-like stare, it turns Jaune to stone. Syllables are snared between his lips, unable to escape her visual grasp.

Then, they quiver. "Real... Really has nice hair! Who would get mad at someone with nice hair! I wouldn't! I want nice hair! Heck, I'd like her hair! I'm going to go to my barber and get myself nice hair like Weiss! Then we'll have matching nice hai-"

"Stop talking, Jaune."

"Stopping now," he replies meekly. That... seems like a matter I shouldn't be poking my nose into. That's just asking for my nose to get bitten off and, hell, I need some sense of self-preservation.

"So, what's your partner like?" Jaune leans in and whispers, his silence lasting no longer than ten seconds. "Like, what's her name? I never caught it." The question gives me pause.

"U-um... I-it's, uh..." I stammer, my tongue drying up as I subconsciously start fiddling with Warbreaker.

As I keep my hands busy, my brain muddling as it tries to find an appropriate response that doesn't make me look like a completely ball-less tool to a total stranger, I glance at the back of The Girl's head as focuses on the narrow path. She hasn't said a word since the four of us agreed to work together. Every now and again, I catch the bright piercing glint of her eyes, observing the area around us, standing alert with an almost stoic confidence.

"I... I don't know," I admit with a sigh.

"You don't know her name?!" He exclaims, his shock only withheld by his hushed tone. "You mean you haven't asked?"

I lower my head, "N-no."

"Do you two not get along or something?" He asks benignly.

"N-no!" I splutter in response.

"I mean, Weiss totally hates my guts and she still calls me by name," he says. Pumping his chest with a fist, he clears his throat and begins talking in a hammy high-pitched voice. "Jaune: Stand over there. Jaune: Don't do anything. Jaune: Stop existing. Jaune- Yeah, you get the idea."

"I-i-it's nothing like that!" I fluster, frantically waving my hands around in denial. I turn my head away, hiding my beet red face. "I-I-I don't hate her at all. The topic just... never came up, that's all."

I admit that I'm speaking only for myself here, I have no claim to know or understand what my partner thinks about me in the slightest, but how could I possible hate somebody I just met? Someone who's a total stranger to me? What would my life be if I truly thought like a raging misanthrope?

It'd be simple, but also lonely: bitter, and short three friends. Oh, and Qrow.

"Seriously?" He exasperates, eyes bouncing between The Girl and myself. "She's your partner. You can't not know her name, man."

My head sinks. It's nothing I haven't been telling myself, repeatedly, since we met. It's one thing for you to tell yourself something, but it only feels like a real issue when someone else agrees.

I bite my lip, keeping silent.

"Alright then," says Jaune, puffing out his chest. "Then I'll just ask her for us."

I splutter, almost tripping over myself and eating a nice salad plate of grass. Recovering, I stare slack-jawed at him, quivering a bewildered, "H-huh?!"

"Well, yeah. You don't know her name. I don't know her name. We both wanna know so, I'll just go and charm it out of her," he grins somewhat confidently. Wait. 'Charm?' He doesn't mean...

"I-I really don't know about this..." I stutter but Jaune just scoffs and waves me off lightly.

"Nah! Don't worry about it. My Dad once told me that all women look for is confidence," he beams. That would explain why I'm not exactly a heartthrob, amongst other things. "If I come at her with enough swagger, there's no way she can resist telling me her name. I think."

I can certainly think of a few ways. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Before I'm given any opportunity to perhaps coerce him out of it, he stretches out the joints in his fingers and puts on an overcompensating smirk.

"Time to work some magic," he declares.

Quickening his pace, Jaune attempts to saunter up to his target. Though his posture is more lumbering weight than smooth play-maker, he swerves up beside The Girl and tries to make small talk. Trying, so, so very hard to make small talk.

The Girl glances up at him for a millisecond before turning away. In response to the complete lack of acknowledgement, he starts talking sounder, flexing his arms as an American football jock in a College movie would. Nothing's working. He pushes further, making jokes that earn him a rather tense glare.

Jaune ignores it. His body language, as with his voice, becomes louder, waving his arms around more than flailing tube men. Another warning from The Girl goes unnoticed. He keeps talking, scrambling to salvage this. He leans in, a bit too close for comfort and...

"Yeowch!" Yelps Jaune, immediately trailing back to me, massaging his swelling red cheek. So, uh, when does the magic begin?

"You deserved that!" Shouts Weiss.

"Ow..." He moans, still rubbing his very red cheek. That was quite the stinging slap she gave him. It should fade in roughly ten seconds or so but still, I think pissing her off is not something I'd want to do in the near future.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah. Heh heh. That was a pretty stupid idea, huh? I didn't even get her name," he admits, shoulders slumping. I don't think anyone here will debate him on that one. At least he tried? Actually, scratch that. If he didn't try, he wouldn't have been slapped and disgraced. So, uh...A for effort?

Pat on the back. Let's go with that.

"You've got to be kidding," Weiss groans, stopping in place.

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Her partner asks. She looks over her shoulder, her expression carrying a sense of seriousness behind it.

"We're here," she says tersely. Her arm plucks her rapier from her waist, swishing it around as to test her grip. The Girl takes this as a clear sign of something and takes out her own weapon. That's... concerning.

"Jaune," I start, pulling Warbreaker tight against my shoulder. "Y-you might want to take out Corcea Mors."

"Is it bad?" He asks, complying. I answer with a simple look. I'm not sure, but it's nothing good. One following after another, we pass by another congregation of trees. Beyond them is a great opening. A huge dose of sunlight blinds us for a fleeting moment. As our eyes start to adjust, the three of us see exactly what Weiss was talking about.

It's bad. It's very bad.

Before the four of us is a grand clearing of grass and sky. Standing right in the middle of this clearing are ruins, dilapidated, crude, and rather disappointing honestly. I was hoping for something a little more romantic, emitting a mysterious aura. That's not what we found at all.

You see, the problem here aren't the ruins itself. No, not at all. They're not what I was expecting but that's a rather petty issue. The real issue is worse, far worse. Large chucks of sculpted stone and marble are split completely in two: little speckles of crushed material are dashed across the field and, what looked to be the upper platform has crashed down into the central area.

Why has this happened? Well, it's because we're not the first ones to come here. Laying scattered across the ruins, piercing stone with an ivory spear-like tip...

Are large black feathers.

I know this Grimm. I've done my research on any kind that I would encounter if I somehow succeeded in joining Beacon. There's only one kind of Grimm I know can pull this kind of thing off and it towers over every other kind of common Grimm both in size and sheer power.

"Eren?" Jaune shudders. "What... what did that?" I'm shaking. Everything is shaking. Forcing my voice steady, I twist myself around to tell him.

"N... _Nevermore._ "

"What... what's a Nevermore?" He gulps. Something we shouldn't fight. Something we should keep as far away from as possible.

I look forward. Weiss and The Girl start walking towards the ruins. The Nevermore is nowhere in sight but from how fresh the debris appears, a battle was waged not too long ago. They have the right idea. We still have our objective to complete.

"We..." I start, swallowing down my panic. Clearly. Think clearly. "We need to grab the relics."

"R-right," he nods. "I'll, uh, catch up with Weiss."

I nod back. That's when we separate. Jaune hurries off to join Weiss: I scamper after The Girl. Weapons are out and all four of us are very much on-guard. It'll be okay. It'll be okay...

As I close in on The Girl, I notice several small pillars, jutting out of the ground, aligning with the outer rim of the platform. Several of these pillars are empty, some of them have been toppled over but, at least half of contain what appear to be expertly crafted, well-painted...

Chess pieces?

Yes. Chess pieces. Twenty of them to be exact. Ten white and ten black if my estimations are correct. That's the exact amount of partners this initiation has created. One for every pair that makes it here. The gears in my head begin to turn.

From the amount still remaining, I'd hazard a guess that these may have a hand in the teams forming. It'd certainly be very neat and tidy if they did.

I slide to a stop, right next to The Girl, a small tilt of her head is her only acknowledgement.

"Pick one," she tells me.

"You... don't want to pick?" I blink at her.

"I really don't care," she shrugs.

"...Okay," I say uneasily. More power to me, I suppose.

With a carefully step, I tread onto the once beautifully carved ruin stone. Gigantic feathers litter the structure, the black barbs clouding my view and tickling my face as I pass. My eyes narrow as I search around, looking for some sign that either Ruby or Yang have been here before me. No red roses or bright fires here, I'm afraid and there's the possibility that I' just be wasting everyone's time if I made us wait for them.

I grit my teeth. Damn it

"Woah!" Jaune cries out from the other side of the ruined temple followed by a loud thumping noise.

I jump, gun snapping to the sky. My heartbeat quickens. Are we under attack? Where is it? Where is it coming from?!

"It's okay!" He yells. "I just tripped! I'm alright!"

"Nobody was asking, Jaune!" Weiss shouts after him. Well, guess I'm nobody now. My aim relaxes but my hands are still rather wobbly. I'm far too on edge right now. I should tell myself a joke to calm down. Ahem.

With all these feathers, I guess you could say that these ruins totally got _ruined!_

...I sigh softly. It would've been a lot funnier if Yang said it. My feet move to walk once again when-

 _Thunk._

I reel back, gun pointing in the direction of the sound. Looking down, my eyes land on a white bishop piece, appearing almost golden in shade, laying gently against my foot. With a tad of apprehension, I gingerly pluck the relic off of the ground, inspecting it closely. While I wrap my fingers around it fine, the piece itself is bigger than my arm. It wouldn't be too difficult to find one of these things as they're scavenging the fields on their hands and knees.

Always liked using the bishop - It's no tank, but I found it most useful in checkmating kings with its unpredictable and unique movement.

It's not the strongest piece, but it's definitely my favorite. If I had to pick any of them...

I shake my head, setting the piece down on an empty pillar. I'm not thinking rationally. This is the piece I would pick: Not the piece either Ruby or Yang would pick.

Someone else can take this. I need to be with my friends.

So, assuming that I'm right, I believe that the pairs that take a white chess piece from this side will be paired together with the pair that take the opposing black piece from the other side to form a team with. If that's truly the case, and I still have no idea if Ruby and Yang have been here already, then...

I take over to the two nearest pieces.

The white rook - Strong, sturdy and only second to the queen in terms of power. You could checkmate the king with it alone. Yang would like this piece.

And the white knight - Versatile, predictable but great for taking out queens. Ever needed to take a tough piece out, this one will do the job. Ruby would like this piece, if not just for the whole knight-in-shining armour aura.

My thoughts gravitate towards these two. I think that if either of them were going to be selective, they would pick one of these. Of course, I could be completely wrong and it could be a complete toss-up or predetermined or based on grades, it's definitely a possibility, but if it what I think it is...

This decision will decide who I'll be working with for the next four years.

No pressure, huh?

Sucking in a breath, I make my decision.

This one.

I pick up the white knight piece, coiling my hand tightly around the grip. I'm working completely off of what-ifs here, but with communications jammed and the two of them nowhere to be seen, what-ifs are all I have.

I return to The Girl, chess piece in hand. I wave it in front of her and she silently nods at it.

"I-I'll keep it in my bag. If that's okay with you, I mean," I say meekly.

"Sure," she says simply. Well, that's that. I open the clip my ammo bag, shove the now messy stack of magazines to the side, stuff the relic inside and close it back up again.

Objective complete.

The four of us regroup, weapons still out and gleaming.

"No sign of the Nevermore yet," Weiss remarks grimly.

"Maybe it's already dead?" Jaune suggests. "Maybe the people who it was chasing already killed it? No problem, right? Like, pow! Boom! Aaahh! Kersplat. Dead giant monster bird thing." He added his own theatrics to that, by the way. Still, he may have a point. The corpse would've dissolved long ago had it been killed. There's no blood splatters or indications of injury around the surrounding area. The problem with that is...

"We don't know that for sure," The Girl speaks up.

"Obviously," the snobby princess adds, fiddling with her rapier chamber. They are right. We don't know for sure. Just because there's no blood spilled here, doesn't mean there hasn't been elsewhere. If I where in their shows, the last thing I'd want to do is take a giant ferocious monster head-on. It doesn't make Jaune wrong, but it doesn't means he's entirely right either.

"Eren?" My head perks up at the blonde saying my name. "What do you think?"

"M-me?" I stutter, pointing a finger at myself. He honestly wants my thoughts? "W-well, um..." Better safe than sorry. "I-I think it's best we leave. W-we don't know if the Nevermore's still around so, uh, either way, we should try and finish initiation and maybe not get into a fight with it if it's alive?" Three pairs of eyes stare back at me. My gaze lowers, down towards the ground. "Th-that's just what I think..."

A moment of pause. Then, Weiss groans.

"Do you ever talk like a normal person?" I wince, rubbing my arm self-consciously. "But I agree. Whether it's alive or not, we shouldn't fight the Nevermore unless we're given no choice."

"Getting back to the cliff should be our priority," The Girl nods.

"I'm all for not fighting the killer bird," Jaune beams, raising his arm as if to say 'Aye!' However, as he notices that none of us are doing the same, he lowers his arm awkwardly and clears his throat. "So, what's the quickest way back to the cliff?"

Pronouncing her presence, The Girl steps forward and points into the far distance. "There's a temple not far from here. It has a bridge connected to the western part of the cliff. From there, we can walk back to where we started and finish our task within half an hour or less."

"And pray tell, how are you so sure that bridge is even still intact?" Weiss folds her arms and scowls but this doesn't seem to faze The Girl even slightly.

"I don't. But, we can check and potentially save ourselves a great deal of time and effort, or we can walk a good two hours fighting the Grimm back to the front of the cliff where only two of us are capable of climbing it," she explains calmly. The other girl reclines slightly.

"Very well," she huffs. "But don't pin the blame on me when we find a collapsed hump of rubble."

* * *

Well.

I think this counts as them both being right.

With The Girl's guidance, the four of arrive at a great bridge with a gigantic towering structure barring down from above, hanging over a gaping bottomless chasm in order to allow safe passage to the other side. Though its main purpose is to connect the highlands and lowlands together, several pathways constructed branch out from the center, reaching other significantly smaller towers rising from the misty abyss bellow. While many parts of these ruins have either eroded or fallen apart completely, we are relieved to find that, despite the damages it's sustained, the main bridge itself is still standing.

Barely. Much like with the temple, we're not the first group of people to come here. Not by a long shot.

Marking its territory, the same large Nevermore feathers spread across the landscape, breaking great chunks of the bridge and annihilating entire pathways in its wake. There's still no blood to be seen, a thankful mercy, and the environment around us has been almost entirely decimated by the incurring battle beforehand, so much so, that not even the other side of the bridge had been spared.

As I said, they're both right.

Right at the bottom of the massive cliff-side, taken from a massive mass of rock from the cliff itself, is a huge 'collapsed hump of rubble' crushing whatever part of land underneath it with extreme force. I can't tell how long its been since the occurring fight but, judging from the reactions from everyone else, I think we all have a pretty good idea what is, or rather was, underneath.

"Dead," Jaune points, eyes practically popping out of their sockets. "That. Is a dead bird. A dead, flat, squished, deader than door-nails bird."

That's putting it aptly. It's one problem dealt with, at least.

Weiss grumbles, her scowl visibly deepening as she glances at The Girl smirking smugly at her. "Shut up. As soon as this partnership ends, I'll be glad to never have to talk to you ever again" she growls, storming towards the bridge. "Move it, Jaune! I'm stuck with you!"

Wisely clamming up, Jaune does exactly as he's told and trails after his partner, her heels clinking loudly underneath as she stomps away. The Girl follows after the duo, her heel clicking softly as she keeps her pace steady. At least someone here can keep their cool.

The last man in this dysfunctional conga-line, my feet plod as my eyes wander, keenly scanning the ruins design, asking myself numerous questions that I obviously don't know the answers to: When was this built, why was it built, why was it abandoned, was this part of Vale or was it from before those times? Pointless innocuous thoughts but thoughts I like to ponder on regardless.

As the four of us make our way through the middle, under the arch, my ears pick up a quiet crumbling sound.

I flinch, stopping. Tiny morsels of what feel like sharp breadcrumbs land on my head, dirtying my hair, sinking through the gap of my hoodie and trickling down my spine. Meeping, I swat the caught excess off of my hair, gathering a handful of the stuff in a grasp. I look down. It seems to be... a powder like substance, like small pieces of rock grounded into dust.

My head snaps up, peering closely at the ceiling. Another stream of dust falls from the cracks. I jump out of the way, avoiding another unhealthy dose of poisonous dust. And another, and another, and yet another one after that. It's a downpour of powder, falling through one of the cracks at a tempo that seems... rather off-putting. It seems almost sequential in nature, like the drip of unkempt tap.

I suppose, after the encounter here, it'd be a bit optimistic to assume this place is entirely stable but, something about this doesn't seem right.

I know, because The Girl's stopped walking and she's looking up at the ceiling just as I am. Briefly, no more than a fleeting second, our eyes lock. I might be assuming but, I think that she's maybe thinking the exact same thing. I peer past her shoulder, narrowing on the fallen boulders clogging up the other side of the bridge.

The rocks shudder. Another dosage falls. My heart lurches. The bridge isn't merely unstable.

It's tremoring.

 _Oh god._

"Guys!" I scream, dashing towards the blonde and white-haired pair. "Get away from the bridge! _The Nevermore's alive!"_

Too little, too late. The boulders erupt, hurling into the sky and from them raises a dark avian monster screeching a scream so shrill, so full of ungodly malice and rage that it feels as though it's piercing my lungs through sheer bloodthirsty beastly desire. From the kicked up dust of its ascent, I finally see the monster.

Big and raven-like in shape, with a maw so large that it could devour a man with a single bite. Riddled with feathers, they can skewer a normal person in ways that a pike would be a mercy kill in comparison. Its face, once whole and tough, has been crushed in the left side, taking out both of its two eyes and caving in the flesh to the point its a wonder it's still alive at all. And the wings. Jesus Christ, the wings. They could blot out the sun with their size, carve the earth in two with a single slice, cause a hurricane on the other side of the world with but a gust.

Our only saving grace here is that the previous fighters managed to dislocate both its wings out of their sockets. But the Nevermore is very much aware of this fact. With a vehement growl, it rustles up its feathers, shuffles its weight and with a sound so sharp it makes us wince.

 _Crack!_ Snaps one wing back into place.

 _Crack!_ Snaps the other. Both wings are back in-action much to my despair.

As fearsome as it is however, the monster quickly succumbs to its countless injuries, falling down onto the bulk of the bridge and blocking us from passing.

That's the least of my worries right now.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Yells Weiss, her scowl the deepest I have ever seen it today.

"Oh god! Oh man!" Quivers Jaune, stumbling back from the beast. That's not what he should be focusing on right now.

I rush forward, grabbing him by the hood, watching as The Girl does the same with Weiss, earning an indignant "Wha- Unhand me, you pest!"

"W-we've got to move!" I stammer at Jaune, thinking that as warning enough before, with all of my might, I start frantically pulling him towards what remaining cover the arch provides. A muffled 'Hrk!' is all I receive in response but, with his posture completely off-balance, I successfully drag him back into safely, planting our backs against one of the sufficiently sized pillars. The Girl and Weiss do the exact same on the other side.

"O-ow. That seriously hurt, Eren," he groans, rubbing his throat. Oh crap, I think I was choking him.

"I-I'm sorry b- Look out!" I scream, pushing him back against the pillar and huddling against it with my head down.

Smash! The falling boulders crash back down to earth, a few barrel straight into the middle of the arch, kicking up hazardous debris. More destruction, more decimation but I don't dare to leave the pillar cover. Keep calm. Keep calm!

I plug my ears with the palm of my hands, waiting for the bombardment to be over. Breaking, crashing, smashing, it's relentless, horrific, terrifying. I can't stop my damn hands from shaking. Let it be over. Please let it be over already!

Then, silence. I release the vice-grip on my ears cautiously, almost expecting to be greeted with the sound of tattered ruins, but I hear nothing.

I peek my head up, shaken but otherwise still in-tact.

"I-i-i-i," I fumble over my words, incapable of speaking properly. Damn it, I swallow. Pull yourself together, moron. "I-is everybody o-o-okay?"

"Y-yeah," mumbles a shaking Jaune. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"I'm fine," The Girl says simply, dusting off soot from her outfit.

"Argh! My dress is all dirty again!" Weiss shrieks, struggling to sweep all the brown dust off her white dress to no avail. Surrendering herself to being a walking dustbin, her arms slump to her side and she groans loudly to herself. As cranky as she is, I do feel a little sorry for her. It is a nice dress. Folding her arms, she turns to look around the corner, almost exploding upon meeting eyes with her target, "Oh, come on!"

Oh no.

"The bridge is out," she grumbles, confirming my fear.

"What?! We came all that way for that bridge! How are we going to get back now?!" Jaune shouts.

"More importantly," starts The Girl. "Where's the Nevermore?" You know what? It doesn't matter where it is right now. What matters is where _we_ are right now. Limited space, deteriorating cover and an ever-present chance that one of us will fall off into the abyss.

"W-we need to get off this bridge," I say, beginning to walk towards the remaining side. "Right now."

 _Crash!_

Before I'm given any time to follow through with my plan, a sudden giant blur barrels into the remaining bridge, hurling pieces everywhere. I bound back into a fright, screeching " _No!"_ as the sound of flapping wings booms beside us.

The Nevermore. It's flying again.

* * *

 **A/N:** You know what, I really should stop making promises in my Author's Notes because somehow or another, my over-ambition finds a way to completely muddle it all up.

So, I promised that this chapter would be the conclusion of the Emerald Forest Arc and it was originally supposed to but I had so many points to touch on with the finally three scenes that, when it started to become too long, I started cutting out certain aspects on those scenes that overall just made it feel less coherent and conclusive. Considering how much grand and epic episode 8 of Volume 1 was and how much it really kicked in gear the whole "Yeah! This is RWBY where badass amazing things happen!" having my own conclusion to the same arc feel rather damp and lifeless in comparison didn't really sit well with me.

However, 12,000+ words is simply ridiculous for readers to digest in one sitting. My longest chapter to date was Chapter 10 at 9,980 words and that was a hassle to read through and all. So, bottom line, the Arc finale is being split up into two chapters and I do apologize to those I promised it would be concluded in one. I'm a flimsy bastard and you really should stop listening to me.

The bright-side however is that the conclusion is mostly complete. It's simply going back and readjusting it all to fit the stuff I wanted added. So, expect the conclusion very soon.

Thank you very much for reading. As always, I'd like to hear what you think of the story so far whether it'd be good or bad. Constructive criticism is very much encouraged.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - On The Board Pt. 2**

With an ear-bleeding battle cry and a flap from its wings, the monster fires several of its giant feathers at us, nailing the internal structure of the arch and forcing me to roll out of the way. I land with a grunt, watching on as three separate feathers violently impale the place I was just standing in five seconds prior, sinking at least three solid inches into the carved earth.

Good god.

The other three stand up in their respective ease, looking on as the ginormous monster whirls around for another attack. With both bridges destroyed, the four of us are given no other choice but to fight.

With little apprehension and grappling hook primed, The Girl surges forward and leaps off the bridge.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! Come back here!" Weiss orders but she's already hurled herself towards the fearsome beast. "This day keeps getting worse and worse," she sighs, rubbing her temples. Spinning on her heels, she points an accusing finger towards me. "You, whatever your name is, what are you doing sitting on the ground?!" In a movement rife with grace, she brandishes her rapier with flair. "Stand up and fight!"

...I clench my trembling fingers on Warbreaker's grip, forcing myself to recover some frame of self-control. Regardless of my still shaking body, I haul myself up onto my feet, bucking the stock into my shoulder. I'm still scared, I'm terrified by god, but I'm ready to fight back when needed. Weiss nods strictly.

"Good. Follow me," she commands. I'm inclined to follow, except she's forgetting one important person.

Jaune - Standing vacantly, his eyes glazed over in a daze as he watches the Nevermore caw, firing another bombardment of sharp feathers at the airborne Girl who narrowly avoids their spear-like impaling tips with a flash of her shadow and a skid.

"Wh-what about Jaune?" I ask her. Turning on her heels, she dismisses me with a hand.

"Forget about him. He's useless. He can remain here and stay out of trouble," she answers in a bland tone.

"B-but..." I start reluctantly, eyes switching between him and the beast, its jaws biting at another shadow decoy, missing the real thing with an almost rabid fervour. "W-we could need him. W-we're only two people. Jaune could help us out?" In a situation like this, nobody is useless. She lets out a rather blatant scoff.

"What? So, he can trip and fall into its mouth? He's as skilled as a dead-horse. At best, he'll only be a hinderance," she says harshly.

"H-he can...!"

 _Boom!_

The platform quakes, dust pouring out from all the nooks and cracks. The three of us stumble around, losing our footing to the sheer impact of the attack, below us at what I think is the base of the bridge, layered by hundreds of hardened stone bricks. It feels like we're tipping. It's trying to knock the whole thing down!

"We need to get off this thing. Now!" Weiss barks, peering over the edge of the platform. Focusing on a stricken Jaune, my body makes a push, rushing towards him, snatching up his arm as he stares down at the ground.

"Wh-what the heck?" He stammers, voice low and body quivering. "What _is_ this thing?!"

"Come on, Jaune," I say hastily yet softly, pulling him towards Weiss. "We need to go." He feels like dead-weight in my hands, offering no resistance as I drag him through his paralyzed state. With him in hand, I peer over the edge on the bridge, finding nothing but the endless pit and a few ruins leading to nowhere.

"There," Weiss points me to one of the pathways underneath. Well, it's not quite a pathway. It's more like support for a higher pathway that has completely crumbled away, leaving the tower it's supposed to connected to completely cut off from the platform. It's a thirty foot drop onto a platform no more than six feet wide. Aura breakage upon impact is the best-case scenario in this situation.

"Watch," she says confidently. With a twist from the rapier chamber and air sucking through her nose, she summons a strange amalgamation of what I think are runes with her blade darkly aglow and a simple flick from her fingers. Spiralling from a light blue to a pure black, an incantation imprints itself onto the section of the supports length, stabilizing without the need for Weiss to sustain it.

Without further warning, she steps off from the ruin platform, hurling her off the ruin platform and towards the incantation.

Screeching, the Nevermore whirls around for another bash into the bridge's base. Anxiety taking over, I set Warbreaker on my back, wrap Jaune's arm around my shoulder, heaving him up, and stand millimetres on the bridge's precipice. Suddenly returning to reality, Jaune's eyes visibly dilate as he peers down at the falling girl below.

"I-I don't know if this is such a good idea, Eren!" He cries. Neither do I, but we're not in the position to be picky about good ideas.

"C-close your eyes, Jaune!" I tell him. My shoulders stiffen as the tip of my shoes dangle off the edge. Three. Two...

One!

Both of us step forward, the pair of plunging perilously towards the designated ruin, the wind kicking up our hair and our hoods flapping manically as we clench our teeth, stopping ourselves from screaming too loudly. Velocity determines where we land now. I see the support bulk speed towards us and...

No collision. I pry my eyes open, finding both Jaune and myself suspended above solid rock, mere meters away from crumpled bones and a broken spine.

I peer up, sight locking onto the safe and whole form of Weiss, heels clicking as the tap in tempo, staring at the pair of us with her white eyebrows furled. Unnaturally, I try swaying my legs underneath, wobbling uneasily as my shoes contact the stone, stabilizing myself as I adjust to regular gravity again.

 _Boom!_ Another massive concussive blast explodes from the side of the bridge, dust imploding from every pore of the giant structure, broken pieces of brick flying everywhere as the Nevermore bounds back away. The bridge shimmers slightly. It's taken some hefty hits and the threat of toppling is still very much an issue, but it's not going to fall quite yet. What a miracle that is for us.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, a signal from Jaune to tell me he's alright now. Relinquishing my hold, I release him to walk on his own terms.

"Weiss," he starts. "I... I think I might have an id-"

"No. You don't," she cuts him off coldly, rapier waving in her left hand, fully focused on the battle raging in the skies.

Gulping hesitantly, he keeps pushing. "B-but it could work! "

"Or, more than likely, it'll get us all killed," she hisses back. "Your 'ideas' so far can be boiled down to recklessly charging at something, messing up and almost getting yourself killed. I don't want to hear anymore 'ideas' out of you! Stand down and stop talking!"

"Weiss, please! I can hel-"

" _I said be quiet!"_ She snaps.

Jaune reels, flinching from her verbal slap. Accepting defeat, he takes a step back from her, shoulders sloppy and expression despondent, nursing his wounded confidence with an unbecoming silence. I quietly beat the fiery tinge kindling in my heart into submission. She's made up her mind. Acting out would only make things worse for everyone.

I return to the ensuing fight, gawking slightly as The Girl weaves in-between the supports of a distant pathway. She flips and twirls out of the way as the rampaging Nevermore simply smashes through the stabilities, capsizing the stone slumps remaining without a single care for its battered condition, gunning after its target with an unquenchable hunger.

"What is she doing?" Weiss grumbles, lips curling into a grimace. Is she distracting it? Surviving it? Or is she actually trying to kill that damn thing all by herself? That's reckless. Far, far too reckless. "There's nothing for it," she sighs, twirling to us. "You, with the gun, keep an eye on them. Jaune, stick close and don't fall off the edge. We're heading for that tower."

"What?!" Jaune shrieks. If I had the guts, I surely would be doing the same. Disregarding the three hundred-meter dash we'd have to survive between here and there, there's a little problem concerning the massive jump we'd have to make up from the supports to the entranceway. Calling it a leap is understating it. "Th-there's no way we're going to make that jump!"

"That won't be an issue," she says, waving her rapier. "Now stop badgering me and run!"

She bolts forward. Eyes connecting with mine, Jaune bites his lip. I don't think it's ideal either but what else could we do? We can't go back; the sides lead to a seemingly infinite pit of death and the skies are rattling from the booming encounter above. Forward is all we have left.

I pull out Warbreaker, locking in a bullet with a tug. "I-I'll keep you covered," I assure him.

"...Thanks," he nods, grateful.

He runs first. I follow, flickering between the path in front of me and The Girl clambering on top of the flailing Nevermore's head. Like a wolverine clawing at a bear, she slashes one: two, three, four times up and down the monster's neck, emitting a flinch and a low gurgle of a growl. It thrusts its head back, attempting to throw off its smaller adversary.

It succeeds, somewhat. Against the building momentum of the beast, The Girl's feet leave the gigantic predator's neck, only for her grappling hook to find purchase in its midsection. She swings, circling around her opponent. The Nevermore thrashes around but she refuses to let go, its frustration screeching among the ruins.

That's when it has a thought.

Doubling its momentum, the Nevermore hurls itself towards one of the nearby towers, spinning around, seeking to remove the little pest latching onto it by throwing her into the hard-carved rock.

It caws, the tower shudders.

Aware of the impeding danger, The Girl disconnects her grappling hook, bounds off the tower walls and leaps away to safely, retreating from sight behind the large structure of the bridge.

The Nevermore, back pressed against the tower walls, sharpens its sight. Looking at the supports through its remaining two right eyes.

Looking at us, halfway across, right in the open. The only thing that could make us all the more appetising is a giant sign saying, 'Please eat us!' And that's not even the main issue here.

The supports. That tower is our only semblance of a safe haven right now. Its broken both ends of the bridge already. It breaks this, we'll have no path to the tower: no way out, and no leg to stand on. If the fall doesn't kill us, the Nevermore will.

I slide to a halt. Jaune and Weiss do the same, gasping and hissing respectively. Revolver chamber spinning, an incantation glyph spirals around her feet. I buck Warbreaker to my shoulder, peering down the scoop at my target, charging at us with murderous intent.

"Stop it before it knocks us off!" Weiss roars and we start firing, single-fire bullets precisely aimed from my end while homing almost mystical-looking projectiles shoot out from hers.

Every single one makes its mark. The beast isn't even trying to dodge them anymore, opting simply to power on through, tanking every little attack we make against it as though we're merely spitting at it.

We might as well be. Whatever damage we're truly doing to it, it's not showing. It's still coming at us, still charging, still screeching. I shouldn't be surprised. My bullets tickled the Ursa I fought earlier. Why on earth would it do anything more to the stronger, albeit injured, Nevermore. Body shots won't work.

"Very well, then," Weiss grumbles, pulling the lever as her revolving chamber lands on red. "Let's try this." A hazy red covers her rapier blade, the air around it sizzles and boils. The glyph around her feet changes from a snowy white to a fiery red. She concentrates, letting out a breath as thick as steam. Both Jaune and myself step back a pace, afraid that we'd be caught in the blast radius if she were to spontaneously explode.

Then, with a mighty swing from her rapier, she fires.

A humongous fireball blasts from her blade, setting the very air alight in a burning blaze bombardment. Following the commanding finger of its summoner, the infernal ball heads to meet the rabid raven head-on, surely scorching its already mangled face into a melted pool of decaying flesh. The Nevermore's not dodging. The fireball is still on course. I think this might actually do it!

That's when a dark figure flies straight in the face of the beast.

The Girl! No!

"Weiss! Watch out! You're going to hit her!" Screams Jaune.

Her teeth visibly scraping against one another, Weiss drags her finger away from its intended target, missing The Girl and the Nevermore by just a few inches before the fireball loses momentum and fizzles away like a damp firecracker. Foiled by an utter lack of communication.

Damn it.

The Girl's body jostles violently, her swords digging deep into its skull as the monster continues bulldozing towards us. Fighting against the winds bashing against her, she draws her left sword from its flesh and plunges it into one of the monster's right eyes.

It feels it this time.

It roars, screeches, screams, writhing around in the air, forcing her sword out from its socket, as its incoming trajectory is completely thrown out of sorts. In a desperate struggle to hold on, The Girl clings to her remaining embedded sword while the Nevermore thrashes wildly in an almost blind fury. Feathers fly out, impaling stone or missing entirely, trying to make its true target.

She decides to pull out her sword and switch to her grappling hook. She leaps off from its skull, tossing it at one of its legs. A decent plan to bound to a safer location but, things don't go quite as planned.

As the fabric wraps itself around the beast's leg, like a rabid dog taking a fit, the Nevermore goes berserk, contorting its body in ways that would leave a normal person boneless. Throwing its weight, The Girl is hurled in front of the monster's radius and, like swatting a mosquito, the Nevermore smacks its giant wing into her smaller body, smashing her towards the support pathway.

My heart lurches. I lurch with it. Ignoring the startled cries beside me, I rush forward, practically throwing Warbreaker on my back, jumping in the direction of the curdling Girl. Arms outstretched, I brace my body for a grievous impact.

We make contact, breath suckling from my lungs. A wave of blue flashes before my eyes. If my actions made any difference to her momentum, my ribs are sure paying for it. In an attempt to push back, my shoes drag against the pathway rock, the sheer force of the impact threatening to push both myself and The Girl over the edge, in to the abyss. I can't hold this back. I'm not strong enough!

"I've got you guys!" Shouts Jaune, hooking his longer arms around us both, using his superior strength to counter-balance. It's working, to an extent. We're slowing down but it's not enough. We're teetering over the edge.

"Come on," Jaune mumbles intensely. "Just this once. Let me do something right, just this once!" We're over the side! We're going to fall! Using all his power, Jaune roars almost manically, pushing my back away. He pushes. I push The Girl forward, my muscles shockingly tired and weary. Come on, dumbass! You're not doing enough! Fight harder! Fight harder!

With one last effort, we push forward one more time!

And we all collapse onto the supports, back onto solid ground. Jaune stands up first, staring at his arms as though ultimate power surged through their veins.

"I did it?" He asks, tilting his head. "H… hah hah! I actually did it! I saved them!"

"Jaune," a voice growls. It's Weiss, on her knees leaning on her rapier for support, pointing in our direction. Peering behind us, I find the black glyph she used spiralling slowly before shrinking into nothing. Oh…

"Huh…" he replies dully, his face skimming disappointment before disappearing behind a bashful neck-scratch. "Heh. Got myself a little excited there, didn't I? Silly Jaune!"

'Silly Jaune…' I hear him mumble. He… He gave it his best shot. That's what really matters in the end.

The Girl, now lacking her grappling hook, climbs back onto her feet next, finding herself confronted by a fuming red Weiss.  
"What were you _thinking?!"_ She yells. "You threw yourself in front of my attack! Are you suicidal or are you just brain-dead?!"

"I didn't see the fireball, alright? The pair of you stopped firing so I thought I was clear to attack," The Girl growls back, folding her arms. "I had a plan."

"Surprise, surprise: It failed," the smaller girl deadpans harshly. "Maybe if you didn't run off like an idiot and stayed with the rest of us, that wouldn't have happened, and you'd still have your grappling hook. Or was losing it part of your 'plan.'" The curves around her opponent's eyes crinkle.

"At least I was actually fighting. What were you three doing?!" She fires back.

"Making our way off this death-trap and away from that thing! You know, actually accomplishing something!" She shouts. This is devolving into a screaming contest very quickly. We seriously don't have the time for this right now. This has to stop.

I push myself to stand and…

Grunt as I slump back onto my knees, energy sapped from my limbs. A sudden fatigue erodes my bones, sucking the life from my lungs. I know this feeling. I've explicitly trained to avoid it at all costs during a fight.

This can't be right. No way. Counting the catch, I've only been hit three times!

"Eren?" Jaune prompts, noticing that I'm still on the ground. "Are you alright?"

"N…" I croak, tongue feeling like it's been waxed with saw dust. "A-Aura's… g-gone." This is not what the four of us need right now. Zipping down my hoodie, I feel my ribs for any injuries, thankfully finding none. At least I had enough to absorb any fatal injuries but, if I get hit by any one of that bird's attacks, I'm screwed.

"Guys!" The blonde, panic enveloping his face, calls out to the still arguing duo. "Eren's Aura is gone! We have to keep moving!"

No response – They continue to bicker, determined that the other's actions were wrong.

"Guys! Jaune shouts again. "Guys, seriously! Stop fighting! We're all in some serious danger right now!" They continue to ignore his pleas. We can't keep going like this. The Nevermore's going to recover soon. It'll kill all of us if this doesn't stop but Jaune can't seem to tear them apart.

I clench my shirt. My heartbeat races. We're all going to die.

"What is your problem?! You've been nothing but condescending to me since we've met! You're rude, arrogant and so full of yourself that you think that you can fight a Nevermore all by yourself!" Weiss shouts.

I can't handle this.

"Have you looked at yourself?! You're nothing but condescending! You act as though every single one of us are inferior to you and you don't even know a single thing about us!" The Girl snaps back.

I can't breathe.

"I'm the one who's been taking charge throughout this whole episode. I've been working, trying my absolute best, to lead and protect you all when you three have done nothing but irritate me!" She screeches.

Please stop it.

"Guys, come on! This isn't the time!" Jaune protests again.

I don't know what to do.

"Everyone irritates you! You're a stuck-up spoiled little brat who's gotten everything she ever wanted for so long, you think you're entitled to it." She roars.

Mum.

"That's not true!"

Louise.

" _You've never known what it's like to struggle!"_

Help me.

" _You don't know me!"_

" ** _That's enough!"_**

Silence. All three of them stop talking as I stand back up, shock bare on their faces.

"Eren?" Jaune prompts tentatively.

"Enough. Both of you. This isn't the time or the place to be fighting each other," I say sternly. Despite using such a foreign forceful tone, the words roll off my tongue so naturally that even I can't believe I'm saying them.

Weiss can't either, raising her voice.

"Fighting?! I'm not the one at-"

"I don't care whose fault it is!" I shout her down, surprising both of us at my sudden audacity. "Blaming each other and squabbling over 'Fault' isn't going to get us out of here alive! If anything, all you're doing is helping the bloody Nevermore!" I point my finger at the recovering beast to illustrate my point, thrashing out my voice in a way that's especially unbecoming.

"I know you two don't like each other, and I don't care. This stops, and it stops now. What was the point of the four of us teaming up in the first place if you're not even going to bother trying to work together?!"

This isn't my voice, not truly, but I've heard it so many times in my life that it's almost insultingly easy to emulate. Despite being just as timid, she was always the one to step up when confrontations like these happen. She knew what to say, how to end them before they got any worse. Right now, I need that. I need that strength.

"I don't know you guys very well but…" My confidence wavers, energy trickling from my voice, belying my inexperience. Desperation coils around my throat. "Damn it. I don't want any of you to die."

The pair of them look at each other, snarling at each other with their eyes…

And then they part, The Girl folding her arms to focus on the Nevermore licking its wounds and Weiss directing her attention to me.

"That was an adorable speech," she patronises. "But you're ignoring the real issue here. She believes that the Nevermore should be killed when the obvious here is that we should retreat to safer ground in the tower."

And without a conclusion, they'll continue bickering over what method they think is right.

"Then we'll settle it. Right now," I say decisively.

"When did you grow a backbone?" She asks, raising a single eyebrow. "Very well, if you're so confident, tell us what we should do."

Hurling the responsibility onto me, huh? If doing so will lead to us all surviving, then I accept. Resting a finger on my chin, I think carefully about the correct course of action to take. Kill the Nevermore or retreat to safer ground…

I nod to myself. I've got it.

"We'll do both," I announce. As if a poor answer was expected, Weiss scoffs at me.

"That won't work," she shakes her head.

"For once, we agree," The Girl concurs. "In order to do that, we'd need to focus an equal amount of effort into retreating and killing the Grimm. With you out of Aura: Jaune lacking ranged weaponry, my hook still wrapped around its leg, and Weiss reaching her limit-"

"Don't tell me what my 'limit' is, thank you," the aforementioned girl snipes.

"It won't be enough. It'll take out the path, pick us off or destroy the tower before we'd be safe," The Girl finishes, frowning slightly at Weiss's interruption. I acknowledge those problems with a nod.

"I believe there is a way," I say, turning towards the only one to stay out of the conversation thus far. "Jaune."

"What? Me?" He startles.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," his partner groans exasperatedly. "Really? Your plan is Jaune?"

I don't give her a breath of mind, querying him. "You told us you had an idea earlier. What was it?"

"It's…" He starts hesitantly. "It's nothing. Just a stupid thought, that's all."

I shake my head, telling him "We need all the thoughts we can get. What's your plan?" He pauses for a second, a little resistance pushing him back before he brushes through.

"Okay," he begins, manoeuvring himself to observe the Nevermore, still perched on a clump of rock, screeching over its lost eye. Jaune points to its leg, the one with The Girl's ribbon around it. "I noticed it when she was fighting, back on the bridge. It seemed really protective about it for some reason. It always tried to hit her directly whenever she touched it. Even charging at her." When its main advantage is controlling the range of which its attacked, it gives up that advantage whenever that limb is even nicked.

I take out Warbreaker and peer down the scope. Narrowing my eye, I can just barely see an indent right above the ribbon and dangling hook.

"The bone marrow around it's been sheared at least a quarter of the way through. It hasn't been taken off or healed yet," I explain to the other three. That marrow on the legs is equally as durable as the one around its face. That wound must be excruciating to bare. "Nice catch, Jaune." I need to use an assault scope to see that one. He must've been paying close attention.

"It wasn't anything special," he replies, bashfully rubbing his back. "…You can keep going, though. I won't stop you."

"Plan," Weiss growls dangerously.

"Oh, r-right uh, I was thinking that if we were to get the Nevermore in the right angle, we could force it to charge right into the bridge," he explains, smacking his hands to emulate contact. "Boom! The bridge falls on top, smooshes it and we'd be free to escape through the tower."

"Absolutely absurd," Weiss says scathingly, shaking her head. "The only way to hit it without the tower falling on us is with her grappling hook. We three aren't agile enough."

"Then we'll have to get it back," I say, a plan stirring in my head. It's risky. Very risky and it could cost us all dearly if I'm not careful, but I'm not in the mind-set to falter to risks right now. I believe for certain that playing it safe and standing idly on the side-lines will earn us nothing but a painful death. Therefore…

"Weiss, you remember that ice summoning you did earlier?" I ask calmly. "How long can you keep it summoned for?"

She smirks at me, "As long as I need it to be." Perfect.

"Alright. I have an idea," I announce. This is crazy, but it might work.

As the Nevermore finally adapts to its lost sight, the four of us move into position: Weiss on the left with her rapier ready, Jaune and The Girl on the right swords barring and myself in the middle, ready to execute the first phase of the plan.

"This is so dangerous. Are you even sure that this will work?" Weiss asks. I… can't answer that. Taking a deep breath, I aim for the wounded leg.

"Ready?" I ask: Weiss rolls her eyes, The Girl nods sternly and Jaune gulps heavily.

Okay.

 _Bang._

A shot fires from Warbreaker, diving through the air, hitting its mark with a silent clink and a booming screech. With its single eye, it targets me, lifting off the ground and bolting at me with its beak biting menacingly. Timing is everything on this one.

Three. Two…

"Now, Weiss!" I scream, diving over to the right as its snapping maw almost swallows me whole. As the monster overextends its reach, practically leaping over the pathway, sprouts of jagged ice encircles the great beast, pinning it down with its head, wings and feet held by its icy restraints. Holy crap, it actually worked!

The beast screeches. Weiss does so too, "I've got him! Grab the hook!"

"On it!" I call back. Little problem with that, though. The plan worked, if a bit too well. As a great portion of the Nevermore's legs are encased in ice, so is the ribbon just below it.  
Luckily for us, the exposed bone isn't.

"I'll cut it out," The Girl says, stepping up and raising it sword. Swiftly, she strikes against the indent but is sent reeling as her strike is repelled by the tough marrow. She clicks her tongue.

"It's no good," she grumbles. Recovering her cool, she turns to the only other person with a decent melee weapon on this side and beckons him. "You try."

"R-really?" Jaune stumbles, stepping forward as asked. "Uh, alright then. Cutting bone off. That doesn't sound horribly disgusting or anything." He takes his position above the limb, lifting his sword when I scramble forward.

"Wait!" I stop him. His grip's way too low again. I move in, adjusting his right hand higher, tightening it. "There." I nod. That should stop Corcea Mors from slipping out of his grasp again. "Try that now."

"When you are cutting, hit it in a chopping motion. Like this," The Girl adds, demonstrating a cutting motion her arms. Sticking out his tongue in concentration, Jaune takes a couple of small practice shots before winding a larger arc and slicing into the bone.

"Hya!" He roars. The monster roars louder. Pulling the blade back, we're met with bone cleaved almost a third of the way through.

"Jaune, you did it! You cut through!" I cheer. He stands there, gobsmacked.

"I… I did that," he gasps, breaking into a disbelieving laughter. "Hahah! I actually cut something!" Uh…

Ice crinkles as the Nevermore rampages against its chains.

"Hurry up over there! It's starting to break free!" Weiss grits, her glyph whirling like a dying computer drive.

"Do it again, Jaune!" I shout.

"Hya!" He roars, raising and striking the bone with a great battle cry. The bone cracks. Almost halfway through now.

"Again!" I shout again.

"Hya!" He roars again. Crack! Two thirds. The beast is writhing around rabidly. Weiss is on her knees, sweat rolling down her head as she struggles to keep the glyph up.

"Almost there, Jaune. Come on! One more time!" I egg him on. Growling at his target, he lifts his sword to cut it completely off.

" **Hyaa!** " With one final roar, Jaune tears into bone marrow, prying it from the rest of its body, very nearly taking the entire leg clean off.

That's when the ice breaks.

The monster has had enough. The strength of its wings versus Weiss's continually deteriorating energy – It's a no contest. Shatters of ice fly everywhere. The leg we've been trying so hard to break reels back and thrashes out in desperation, knocking Jaune back into me as we collapse to the ground. Pain rushes through my back.

As if to spite us, the leg does detach from the rest of the beast's body, falling off the edge towards the pit. Our efforts completely wasted.

Determined, The Girl swan dives off the edge after it. Neither of us can stop her but that's not our problem right now.

Weiss pants, completely worn out as the Nevermore's head looms over her, eager for revenge. With its massive maw, it grabs Weiss, brutally throwing her about like a ragdoll, before tossing her up into the air and slinking off the pathway.

Aware of what's about to happen next, Jaune stumbles back onto his feet.

"Weiss! No!" He shrieks but it accomplishes nothing.

Swooping around with its mouth open, the Nevermore goes in for the kill. She's going to die! Struggling with the bruises on my back, I fail to bring my gun up in time to fire. A booming clamping sound is heard…

But the beast misses the mark.

Thanks to a certain Girl swinging in and snatching her would-be enemy out of the sky. Our hearts lift. They're both okay! And she got her grappling hook back!

"Heck yeah! You go! …Whatever your name is!" Jaune cheers, albeit awkwardly.

They touch down in front of us, separating safe and sound. They both share this strange look, not quite a glare by not exactly fully grateful either. They hold for at least five seconds before Weiss opens her mouth.

"Thank you," she grumbles begrudgingly.

"Don't mention it," The Girl replies seriously.

Would it… be considered optimistic to say that they're passed their problems with each other now?

"But that's the only time that will ever happen. Don't expect you need to save me ever again," Weiss growls stubbornly. I sigh gently. I thought so.

All of us gasp out as the pathway shakes. Looking above, we find the Nevermore going absolutely berserk: throwing feathers everywhere, skrawing like death itself has possessed it, bashing into the surrounding towers haphazardly without a single thought. The loss of its leg was the final straw. It wants the four of us dead, no matter the cost.

"We're skipping to the second part of the plan. We're getting to higher ground," The Girl states. For once, none of us disagree. She can lead it away once we reach the tower. For now, the four of us begin to run.

One hundred and forty metres – We keep sprinting. Soaring towards our location, the Nevermore aims for the path in front of us in an attempt to cut us off.

"You!" Weiss calls, somehow, I knew 'You' meant me. I stop alongside her. "I'll summon some glyphs. Shoot them and they'll burst into cluster projectiles."

"Wait, what about your energy? You're exhausted," I ask her, biting my lip in concern.

"I still have some Aura left. I can keep going," she frowns before pointing her finger towards the sky. "Now, fire!"

Bright white glyphs appear in the sky. Warbreaker in hand, I do as she says and begin firing at them. With each hit, a swarm of the tiny projectiles she used earlier burst out and light up the sky. I'm hitting them all so quickly that Weiss herself can't quite keep up. Every single projectile smashes against the impeding Nevermore in a bid to stop it.

Wavering from the sheer amount, the Nevermore averts its trajectory, opting to circle to bridge and come back around again. Our collective deaths averted for a few seconds more.

Before I can utter a word of approval, Weiss drops down to her knees again.

"W-Weiss!" I rush to her side, only to be greeted with her proudly standing up and brushing my concern off.

"Forget about it. We're almost there," she says, moving forward. I muzzle any objections I have. We're far too close now for arguments.

Jaune and The Girl reach the end. Despite her assurance, Weiss isn't in a good way. She can't even muster herself to jog. I contemplate picking her up, no idea if it would do any good, when I notice the rebounding Nevermore coming straight for us. My eyes widen.

" _Watch out!_ " I bellow, shoving her as hard as I possibly can out of the way before lurching away and peeling my arms against the stone.

 _Crash!_

My ears explode from the great collision behind my back. Dust kicks up, poisoning my lungs as I cough and splatter my way back onto my feet. Weiss sits up from the other side, coughing into a fist, stunned at what just happened.

I say other side because, well, the path between us is broken. And it's not a small gap.

The Girl and Jaune spin, rounding back to us once they realise what's happened. The former lifts her grappling hook, aiming to leap over and rescue me.

Not if a certain someone has anything to say about it.

Screeching terribly, the Nevermore floats right above the tower, raising its wings in a familiar gesture. Taken off-guard, The Girl lowers her hook, jumping closer into the shade and away from harm. With a ginger hand, Jaune hauls Weiss onto her feet and retreat the same.

A burst of feathers pierce the ground in which they stood, cracking the stone and ultimately causing the remaining section to crumble away. The three hightail it to the tower entrance, The Girl utilizing her hook as a makeshift rope for them to climber up on. For the meantime, they're out of danger.

I'm not so lucky.

The Nevermore tilts its body upwards, shifting the bombardment towards me and a stream of feathers tearing the support to pieces. It's encroaching on my position, forcing me further and further from my goal.

I turn and run, run for my dear life. My feet belt against the ground. The sound of sharp tips making purchase pushes me to run faster. If I trip, slip or even stumble, I'm dead. Sweat pools down my shirt, breath hitching every time the spears draw closer.

Then, they grow further away, almost instantaneously. It might be the terror going straight to my head but, the world seems to be going… faster? Not keeping my eyes off the path, my eyes flicker briefly down to my feet.

White glyphs. They're propelling me forward.

Weiss.

Like a rocket engine has been strapped to my back, I sprint with all my remaining power away from my attacker. However, as quickly as the sensation came, I feel my velocity jitter erratically. The glyphs underfoot fizzling, fighting to remain active but Weiss is at her limit. One by one, the glyphs dissipate and I'm flung back first into the structure of the shaky bridge.

Resisting the urge to cry out from the shooting pain, I clamber back onto my feet. The feathers have stopped but they've left their mark. The support has been almost completely destroyed with a mere ten metres my only salvation from a tumbling death. I'm as far away from safety as I could ever be.

The beast cries, shooting up into the sky. Darkness clouds over me as its gigantic frame blocks the sun. It's going to charge, and there's no dodging it this time. My back is literally against the wall here.

It roars. It charges.

With a shuddering hand, I grab Warbreaker. Its bullet won't do any harm but, attack is all I have right now. There's no way I can survive this…

No, wait.

It's slim, micro-sized at best, but there is a chance.

The remaining eye. The Nevermore's been operating mostly on instinct but, it still has one working eye left. I sink into the stock of my gun. If I hit it, I may still have a chance! I'm not going to die here!

I've got way too much on the line to die!

My right-eye narrows. The rapidly approaching beast shrieks. My opening is minor and surrounding by nigh-impenetrable bone marrow. My finger aches on the trigger, my mind repelling the swamping ideas that I'm going to miss.

My teeth click together. It doesn't whether I can or can't. I need to make this shot. I have to.

Chest is heaving. Scope wavering on a speeding target. Wind resistance is accounted for. On my mark.

Three.

Two…

One!

Like my own breath exhaling from my lungs, smoke sparks from my barrel as the bullet flies. I close my eyes…

It shrieks.

I open them again. Black gunk oozes from the out-of-control Nevermore. The final eye now just an empty socket, completing the set, blinding the monster fully.

I… I did it.

I made the shot! I jump into the air in utter joy, throwing my fist into the air and screaming triumphantly,

" _Yes! Gotcha, you bastard!"_

I shouldn't be celebrating so soon.

The crumpling body of the beast barrels into the breaking underside of the bridge with a booming bang. The sheer weight of the monster is more than the already unstable bridge can bare. Bricks come undone. The massive mass falls forward, tilting the remaining portion of the bridge I'm standing on.

I slip down the slope, hands scrambling for security but there's nothing to catch me. I roll off the side, screaming my lungs out as I fall into the abyss as air curdles in my ear.

This time, the fall definitely will kill me.

" _Eren!_ " I hear someone cry out, muddling by the ailing sounds of the wind. The structure crashes after me, shards of solid brick diving even faster than myself.

Then, my weight lifts, plucked from the sea of crumbling debris. Eyes shut, I let myself be taken. Bounding from spot to spot, floating in the air like a newly born butterfly. A wave of wind smacks me in the face as we touchdown against a wall. I finally open my eyes.

Cool amber greets me once again.

The Girl. Sh-she did it.

"Y-you saved me," I gasp.

Before she responds however, our attention is directed to the bridge, cascading into the abyss with a resounding crash. I stare closely into the wreckage, searching for the, hopefully, decaying body of the Nevermore. Smoke. I won't let my guard down until I see smoke.

Where is it?

Be dead.

Please be dead.

Then, floating out of the ongoing carnage, is a puff of thick smoke, quickly followed by enough smog to fill a factory. I let my shoulders rest and a gaping sigh of relief exhales. At long last.

It's dead.

It's at this time I notice where we are: Dangling off of one of the separate towers with the only things preventing me from falling again being the grappling hook and The Girl's arm wrapped around my waist. I… try not to focus on that.

Instead, as my mind relaxes, my face gushes red as my senses finally return to me. The gravity of my actions land heavily as I fully grasp what I did and, more importantly, what I said.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" I splutter hastily. "I-I-I shouldn't have said any of that. It was so rude of me. I was being such a jerk."

"Uh," she starts, eying me uneasily. "Don't worry about it. I've had worse."

"A-are you sure?" I stammer. I don't want any of them to hate me for being so aggressive. She gives me a pointed look as an answer. "O-okay." I stew in my rose-cheeked embarrassment. I don't know what came over me earlier but, I better not do that ever again.

"Hey!" Jaune waves from the tower entrance. "You're alive! We're all alive! Thank god! I had, like, five heart attacks during that whole thing. I didn't even know that was physically possible!" Good to see he's okay. "There's another pathway here leading to a bunch of towers. Weiss says that we'll need to find an exit further up. Which means: More walking! Yay for us!"

Weiss props herself against the interior as appears as though she's about to fall asleep. She mouths to Jaune, "Stop complaining. You're the least tired out of all of us." He raises his hands in defence, as if it would shield him from her barbs, and then locks eyes with me.

He nods his head towards The Girl before gesturing to the fallen structure in front of us. What is he…

Our conversation from earlier rings in my head, 'You can do that. Why can't you ask for her name?' My body shudders slightly. He wants me to…

He confirms my realisation with a nod before sitting back against the tower, waiting for us. I look at The Girl, stoic and focused. No giant killer beak or razor-sharp claws or bloodthirsty intent in her eyes. Compared to what I've fought today, is it really that scary?

Yes. Very.

But, I think…

I let out a held gulp of air. Three words. That's all I need to ask her. I suck in the broken shards of my courage and I turn towards her, asking in a brave macho tone.

"Wh-what's your name?!"

Her head bound backs, staring at me like she's holding a ticking timebomb in her arms. "Uh, what?"

"I-I, uh, what I mean, u-um, is…" I sigh. Oh, bollocks to it. My shoulders relax as I ask her earnestly. "What's your name? I'd… really like to know. Please." She blinks at me, eyes tilting away as if to consider her answer. I knew it. I was asking too much, wasn't I? I should've let her tell me first.

"Blake." Huh? She turns around, looking me straight in the eye. "My name is Blake."

"Blake…" I tell the name on my tongue. It feels nice to say. Smiling gently, I match Blake's gaze. "My name's Eren."

* * *

Through dehydrated gasps and swollen ulcers, the four of finally arrive back at the starting point, the once light sky now a dark-blue hue. Crowding closely at the clifftop are five figures: The Professor, of course, Miss Goodwitch, and much to my delight, Ruby and Yang, standing shoulder to shoulder alongside someone I'm vaguely familiar with. It's that tall redhead from the locker room - I think her name was Pyrrha?

Ruby catches sight of us, a bright smile breaking upon immediately making eye-contact.

"Eren!" She cries out, racing towards me.

"Ruby!" I call back, smiling all the while. It's only been half-a-day but, it still feels like it's been so long since I last saw her. Though as she makes it halfway, instead of vouching to run further, Ruby plants her feet into the ground and presses hard. What is she...

Oh dear.

"Eep!" I squeal as a lump makes weight with my lungs, squeezing the air out and scattering rose petals upon impact. This newfound weight pushes me down to the ground, what I assume was supposed to be a hug morphed completely into a curt rugby tackle instead.

"Ohhh. That was a bad idea," Ruby groans massaging her neck. She lifts herself off me and crawls onto the grass, kneeling over me. "Are you okay?"

"I-I think I'm alright," I cough drily, giving her a meek yet assuring smile. "Th-think I have a collapsed lung though." The irony in that, though. Survived a fall: an Ursa, a Beowolf pack, a Nevermore and Weiss and the thing that does me in is a simple overzealous tackle from a girl even shorter than me. What a way to go that'd be.

"My bad," she apologizes with a bashful giggle. I know she didn't mean anything bad by it. It's been a few hours since my Aura was depleted anyway. It should be a decent way replenished by now.

"Oh. Wonderful. She's here," Weiss bemoans, swatting away petals with the back of her hand. Her face quickly lights up however, as she begins walking towards the girl from the locker room, waving to her as only a blueblood would. "Pyrrha! Hello!"

Whatever keeps her out of our hair, I suppose.

Passing her on the way there, stifling a bemused snigger at Weiss' ragged attire before strolling towards us with a cocky smirk, is somebody I very much prefer to talk to: Yang.

"Hey there, stranger. What took you so long?" She asks playfully.

"We, uh, tried a shortcut," I tell them, sitting up from my grassy-bed. "Didn't work so well."

"You're telling me!" Jaune intersects with a moan. "We've been walking so long, I can't even feel my feet anymore!" I... wouldn't go that far but, the walk wasn't exactly a moonlit stroll by the beach. With a single gasp of air, he flops onto the ground, sprawling his fatigued limbs out with a joyous sigh. "Ahh! This is nice. Grass is nice. I'm just going to lie here. Eren, wake me up when I feel alive."

"Sure thing, Jaune," I nod.

"Thanks buddy," he yawns happily. Assured by my promise, Jaune closes his eyes and begins snoring almost immediately. What I wouldn't give to fall asleep so quickly. I'd honestly trade in my Semblance if it let me sleep soundly at night. Whatever it's supposed to be anyway.

The sisters are giving me the strangest looks right now.

"W-what?" I stutter. Did I say something odd?

"One day," Ruby whines hopelessly to herself. "It took him one. Day."

"I know, sis," Yang sighs, patting her sister on the back. "Life just isn't fair."

...This is one of those questions that I don't want answered, isn't it?

"So, uh" I quickly change the subject, legs folding into a basket. "Did you guys partner up?"

"Well, uh..." Ruby trails.

"Nope!" Yang answers, a little too cheery for my liking. "We didn't meet up until after the initiation was finished. I met somebody else but, she went back to the academy because 'Trees suck to sleep on.'" That's... certainly a reason to leave. Yes. "Ruby's partner is over there!" Energetically, she points me towards the tall red-haired girl Weiss is currently speaking to.

"That... Pyrrha girl?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's her," Ruby bobs.

"You should go talk to her some time. She's actually really cool to hang out with," suggests the older sister.

"And she's super nice! And an awesome fighter!" The younger sister adds with a peppy tone.

"U-um, sure. A-alright. Sometime then," I nod awkwardly. Of course, I don't when that sometime will be exactly. It's not lying if I genuinely don't know.

"Is that your partner?" Ruby asks, spotting Blake staring out into the vast forest the four of us just escaped from. By her cool gaze, you could never tell that she'd almost lost her life several times over today.

"Uh, yeah. That's her," I reply with a nod. Her eyebrows squint as she scans her, as if to judge her silently.

"She seems…"

"Kinda moody?" Yang interjects with a snark.

"Yang!" Her sister exclaims with a balk. "I mean, you're right but, you're not supposed to say it to his face!"

My friends, everyone.

Yang scoffs unthreateningly at the pair of us before settling on me again. "So! Know anything about her yet?"

"W-well…" I start, attention wandering slightly. I don't have a bio to read off for them if that's what she's asking. But… "I know her name?" I offer. It's something, I think.

She puts a hand on my shoulder, though, it feels more condescending than it does reassuring. "For you Eren, that's as good as getting her Scroll number," she says with a pat.

"Thanks, Yang…" I drone a reply. She could be a tennis player. She delivers some mean backhands. Really wish she didn't word it that way, though.

"Ahem!" Miss Goodwitch clears her throat with authority. Weiss and Pyrrha cease talking while both Ruby and myself spring back onto our feet, standing up so straight that it'd make multiple military regiments feel inadequate. Stepping forward, Professor Ozpin begins to speak.

"It's very good to see you four in one piece. You're the last students to arrive. The rest of your classmates have already been relocated to the academy where you will have your initiation ceremony." Ceremony? A wave of dread brushes me. They never told us about any ceremony. "But first: Your relics, if you please?"

"Gladly, sir," Weiss smiles... a little to sickly sweet, making her way towards to bare over her. "Wake up, Jaune!" With a vicious hiss, she prods her partner with the hard butt of her heels. She's a step away from walking all over him.

"Ouch! I'm up! I'm up!" He yelps, jumping to his feet.

"Hey, Professor?" Yang speaks up. "We were wondering: How are the teams supposed to be formed?" It's at times like these I'm glad Yang is my friend. The Professor contemplates this question with a sip and a hum, pressing his glasses back into position.

"Hm. Yes. I'm sure you're all very curious as to what team you will be working with," he remarks. "Now, normally, we inform students back at the academy and sort them out there but, with how little time we have before the ceremony, it'd be far more prudent if we reveal them now. Don't you agree, Professor Goodwitch?" The teacher thinks over his for a few moments, her lips shifting from place to place as she thinks.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," she says with an affirming nod. "As you wish, Professor. Gather around students and show us the relics you've collected. Those of you who have matching relics both in colour and piece will be teammates for the coming years."

No pressure, right?

The three of us share a look, our intentions for teams were laid bare right at the beginning. As if we're about to have a standoff, the three of us form a circle, our hands, Ruby and mine anyways, trembling as we prepare ourselves mentally for the result. At least one of us weren't going to be in the same team.

"You guys ready?" Ruby prompts. I nod. Yang simply hums a 'Sure.' "Three."

My ammo bag opens with a click.

"Two."

I grab hold of the relic tightly, holding my breath. Whoever I end up with, I just hope that they're nice.

"One!"

We thrust out our hands and present our relics.

In my hands - The White Knight piece.

In Yang's - The White Bishop piece.

And in Ruby's - The White Rook piece.

None of them had a matching pair with the other.

"W-we're all on separate teams!" I exclaim with a reel.

"Wha..." Ruby stutters, caught in a stupor. "What?! How did this happen?! We had a plan and everything!"

"Huh. That worked out better than I thought," Yang says nonchalantly. She could at least show some empathy to our plight. She can be so cold.

"I can't believe this!" Ruby slumps. "Man. Our team would've been so great..."

"Pffft," snickers Yang. "Eren, look to your right." I blink at her before complying. Looking at my right, I find the other White Knight piece ensnared in a pair of hefty brown gloves.

"J-Jaune?"

"Hey! You picked up the White Knight piece too!" He cheers, grinning wildly. "Woah! That's some luck! Weiss and I found this thing when I tripped over it back at the ruins. I can't believe neither of us noticed we had the same piece." I can't believe it either. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's my teammate but, if we're both on the same team then, that means...

"No..."

Weiss.

"This isn't happening. You. An-and her? On my team?!" Her body's shuddering. Her brain's totally unwilling to comprehend the situation that she's found herself in. Can't help but feel a little rejected. "Th-this is impossible! It's inconceivable! This is a tragedy!" She screeches. That's a little harsh... "I- Him! Her! You! All of you! No. No!" Both of her hands latch on her temple, as though she's trying to hold back her swollen brain from busting out from her skull. She's turning a fierce colour of raspberry red.

"Oh boy. I think she's having a mental breakdown," Yang whispers non-so-secretively into our ears.

" _This can't be happening!"_

* * *

"Pyrrha Nikos: Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, and Ruby Rose," Professor Ozpin announces, his voice booming throughout the ceremony hall. Answering their names, the four students walk up onto the stage, formally folding their arms behind their backs. Her movements have been fluid so far but, every now and again, I can see Ruby's eyes flicker frantically to the crowd watching her every move.

Come on, Ruby. You can do it!

The Professor continues, "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will forward together as Team Raspberry. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

The crowd erupts in a flurry of applause. Projected on the massive screen is the team acronym – RPRV- From the other side, I can make out Yang jumping up and down, cheering and whooping manically. In a daze, Ruby sights darts from one spot to another, only settling when her partner Pyrrha puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling proudly at her.

Smiling grandly to myself, I dart back from the curtains, returning to my about-to-be-formed team when Miss Glynda Goodwitch appears from behind the veil with her typical larger Scroll.

"Alright students, we're almost halfway through the ceremony. Now, just to remind you, when you walk up on stage, Professor Ozpin will present you with your team-name and announce which one of you will act as the team-leader." An icy shiver tickles my spine. "Remember: When you're walking out there in front of that crowd, you're not walking out as aspiring fighters anymore, you're walking as official Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training. So, hold your heads high and present yourselves in a dignified and respectful manner. Am I understood?" A few heads in the group bob, others silently accept her lecturing. Satisfied, Miss Goodwitch returns to her Scroll. "Good." With that established, she disappears back behind the curtain.

"Woah, man. This is it," Jaune says, heels bouncing like the floor's made of fire. Seems like he has his own energy to dispel. "You nervous, Eren?"

"V-v-very..." I murmur back, tapping frantically on the back of my hand. I don't think I'd be this nervous at my own execution.

"How about you, Blake?" He asks her next. Silence is her answer. "...Gotcha. You're fine." Tentatively, he asks his partner. Despite her outfit being thoroughly cleaned by her butlers, which I swear set a world record in such a short span of time, the rich girl is currently folding her arms and staring a hole through the curtain fabric. "Weiss? You, uh, you doing okay?"

"Oh, I'm not fine. In-fact, I'm possible the angriest I've ever felt in my life," she answers but, while her words are unsurprising, she says them in the calmest tone I've heard out of her since this morning.

"You... don't sound angry. You actually sound kind of happy," he points out. His face scrunches up slightly. "Not going to lie, it's kind of creeping me out." Same here.

"I've been... absolutely livid all day. I've had a lot of things to be angry about, and I feel like I'm justified in all of them," she announces with a sigh. "But, being so infuriated for so long gets so tiring and frankly, after that... horrific reveal earlier, I decided it'd be much more fulfilling if I looked on the bright side of things."

"Great! That's really good!" He says with a smile. "...What's that then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She scoffs at our clueless expressions. "I'm going to be the leader of this ragtag bunch of misfits."

"You're joking, right?" Blake breaks her silence with a glare. "What makes you think you're going to get it?" Weiss raises an eyebrow.

"Don't you know who I am? I-"

"Weiss Schnee. You're the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the richest and prolific Dust distribution companies in the world," Blake answers. From the sounds of thing, she could recite company logistics too.

"Eren, what's a Schnee?" Jaune whispers, leaning in.

"No idea," I reply. The name rings a bell but, I can't remember where from exactly.

"Ah! You do know who I am?" The white-haired girl says with a smirk, proud of her status being recognised. Blake doesn't seem to share the sentiment.

"I know all there is to know about your _company_ ," she responds in a sharp tone.

"Well, in that case, you should know exactly why I'm going to be the leader. As the heiress to the Schnee fortune, I've been studying and training extensively for the day that I will take over my father's company. I have the knowledge, the experience and the talent for the position," she says, proudly placing a hand on her chest before squinting haughtily at us. "And it doesn't hurt my chances that my only competition for the role are you three."

"Excuse me?" Blake balks.

"You want to know why? Then I'll be happy to explain," she responds, smiling smugly before pointing a finger at her.

"You. You're anti-social, distrustful and far too closed off from everybody you talk to. Instead of consulting with us like you should have, you ran and tried to fight the Nevermore by yourself. Why on earth would they listen to someone like you?"

I hear Blake's teeth seize together, standing defiant but unable to supply a response.

She points at me.

"You. You're spineless. Always stuttering, always apologising, always asking for permission to speak your mind like a toddler. If you were given the position, you'd crumble under all the stress. Am I wrong?"

"...No. Y-you're not wrong," I admit, head dropping to the floor. I feel a comforting hand land on my shoulder. Jaune.

"H-hey Weiss, would you ease up? Nobody's picking a fight here. You don't have to-"

"And you," she interrupts dangerously, pointing at him. "You're a waste of space. Your fighting ability is dreadful: you make rookie mistakes, you have nothing to contribute to the team and by all accounts, you shouldn't even be here. I don't like these two in the slightest, but they are at the very least capable. I have absolutely no idea how you managed to be accepted when you are nothing much than a complete load."

"I-I..." He tries to speak but the words seem to fail him. Repaying him for his actions a few seconds prior, I softly put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. His sight lowers to the ground in disgrace.

"Besides," she smiles, oh-so satisfied with herself. "If a total dunce like that little girl managed to be appointed, there's no way Professor Ozpin won't make me leader."

How dare she.

"S-stop it..." I warn pitifully. What was meant to be commanding and intimidating was caught between my desire to shut her down and the fear that it would only escalate the situation.

"Stop what? I'm telling you all the facts. If you're offended, that's your problem. You should really grow a thicker skin," she belittles, barely even glancing at me as she talks.

My knuckles crack as I clench them tight, forcing all the tremoring in my muscles into it. Waste of space? Complete load? Total dunce?! Who the hell is she to criticise them? She isn't allowed to talk about them that way. I won't allow it, you conceitful bratty-

"White Knight!" A sharp voice pierces straight through us. Scowling at the four of us, Miss Goodwitch tells us, "We've called you at least three times already. It's your turn."

I unclench my fist, punching down the growing fire in my chest. It wouldn't help. It never helps. Don't bother.

"Hmph," Weiss huffs. "Today has been... disappointing. I've been saddled in an inadequate partner, an obnoxious 'loner' and a cowering wimp." She muses, ignoring the secretive and not-so-secretive glaring from myself and Blake respectively. "I don't like any of you. Frankly, I deserve far better than what I'm getting. But, it's no matter. As your leader, I will take pride in dragging you three to the top. We will take the whole of Beacon Academy by storm. Whether you like it or not."

With that, Weiss calmly walks forward, arms resting at her front like a refined young lady. Groaning audibly, Blake follows, hoping that if she stares long enough at the back of her head it'll explode. I turn around, looking at a downhearted Jaune, gazing down at the floor. This isn't right. I should say something.

"Jaune, I…"

"Don't worry about it," he starts. His head bounds up unnaturally, shining a smile too grand to be true. "I'm fine! More than fine! We're about to become Huntsmen-in-training! What do I have to be upset about?" He starts walking, persisting in his overtly merry demeanour. "Come on! Let's go! The girls will get angry if we keep them waiting."

…If that's what he thinks, I shouldn't argue. It'll only cause a fight, anyhow.

I suck in my gut. Well, this is it.

The audiences' clapping quietens as the previous team step off-stage. As we climb up into blinding lights of centre stage, myself staring at my shoes the entire time, pleading with them to not embarrass me in front of so many people, the Professor continues with his formulaic speech.

"Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Eren Liddell, and Blake Belladonna," he beckons. Proud of the achievement of not succumbing to the oh-so dangerous stairs, I lift my head up to the esteemed Head-master, arms gelatine as they wobble from fumbling in front to resting behind my back. A murmur from the students close to the stage referring to my 'Odd name' sends a wave of heat down my back.

Just ignore them. You're okay.

"The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Lapis." The clapping begins anew. It's almost over. He only needs to announce the leader.

It's then I notice Ruby and Yang out of the corner in my eye, the former with her hands muffling a wild squeal and the latter looking at me… oddly. What's got them so worked up about?

"Led by..."

Confused, I carefully sneak a glance at the screen above, the acronym forming for all to see clearly.

Team LABS. That's…

 _No.  
_  
"Eren Liddell."

Everyone in attendance bursts into applause but I find my ears deafened to their raucous cheers. All the joints in my body grind to a halt, preventing me from moving. I stare up at the screen, my senses dull.

I don't see Blake's almost slack-jawed expression.

I don't hear Weiss shrieking a horrified, "What?!"

I don't feel Jaune playfully thumping my arm in congratulations.

Staring up at my photo right above the letter 'L', listening to the rapid beating of my heart, all I feel is fear.

Unbridled fear.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, judging from the team predictions I got a few chapters previously, the decision to make Eren the leader might raise a few eyebrows. I don't want to say too much about it but, I have a specific storyline in mind, both for him and his new team. Some of you may have some heavy objections to this decision, I've been wrestling with this choice myself for a fair while. Please bare with it for now, then crucify me after I completely toss it all up.

Fun fact: Team LABS and Team RPRV weren't originally the teams meant to be formed. Instead it would've been Eren, Nora, Blake, Ren -ENBR- and Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Pyrrha -RWAN- LABS was originally intended to be a red herring, establishing the dynamics for all four characters in the event that I would expand on them later on. However, as I was writing these dynamics for the last three chapters, I found that I really liked the interactions the four had with each other and honestly, it fits far better for the story I'm looking to tell than if I went with ENBR. Granted, there's still a part of me that really wanted to expand on Ren and Nora's characters but, I can do that without making them teammates.

I was aiming to have both parts out by the end of October but, considering the size, yeah. I think I made the right choice splitting the chapters up. I was aiming for this part to be out the following Wednesday but, Uni decided that I was having too much fun and I had a report deadline to meet. Reality is a bugger like that.

It's a bit belated but, thank you all very much for the 100 Followers. For long-time readers, thank you for sticking with this story for so long and for readers who have just joined, welcome aboard. I hope you'll all enjoy what I have planned for the coming arcs.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – A Burdensome Badge**

My weary head stirs.

An obnoxiously cheesy country love song blares from my Scroll – The alarm tune I purposefully downloaded for just such a reason. I snatch it up, silencing the alarm with a few dozy taps, and push myself up. Eyelids heavy, I peer at the screen.

Half past six in the morning. Right on time.

My neck clicks when I stand, the bathtub creaking under my weight as I step out. I'll need to move the duvet and pillow back into the room when I'm finished. Moaning a yawn, I flick on the lights.

After having my eyes vaporised, I wisely turn the big lights off and turn on the mirror lights. Figured that might be the smarter move. Probably.

There's the mirror and there's my dreary gob. Sleep crusted around my eyes, glassy face, and bed hair so bad it could give Yang's mane a run for its money. I smirked mirthfully at my reflection.

"Wow, Eren. You're looking mighty attractive today. Being a bit daring with the tank top? How saucy. Really shows off all none of your muscles," I say sarcastically, choking on my chuckles. As if. I should've kept my hoodie on. Stupid functional Beacon heating.

Plugging the sink, I turn both faucets carefully as to not amass too much noise, collecting a few essentials from my toiletry bag: toothpaste, deodorant, soap, the usual. It's like being on holiday, except I'm staying here for more than two weeks.

As I wait for the sink to fill, my thoughts unwittingly linger to the events of yesterday, of the initiation, of our teams.

Of the ceremony…

It all happened, didn't it? Even now, it doesn't feel real. I don't want it to be real, honestly, but it did. It really did.

I'm the leader of the newly-formed Team LABS.

Never did I think throughout the entire initiation that I would've been picked to fulfil that role. It doesn't make any sense to me. It feels like a gag. An elaborate prank meant to frighten me then 'Surprise! You're not really a leader! You should've seen the look on your face.' What on earth possessed Professor Ozpin to make such a decision? I don't understand it.

"Who the hell would put you in charge of anything?" I ask my reflection.

I turn the water off, retching my head back before dunking deep into the warm miniature pool. After a good few seconds, I pull myself out of the water, gasping as droplets drip from my damp fringe. Defiant, I stare my reflection down.

"It doesn't matter why. It's already happened, so stop whinging," I tell him. Musing on it any longer will only irritate myself further. I sigh, pulling my tank top over my head to get dressed when my eyes land on the reflection of a familiar scar on the right side of my hip. A finger glides over it. I grimace at the memory…

Then I glare at him.

"You were lucky: You were lucky that day, you were lucky with Qrow, and you were lucky yesterday. You can't keep getting saved all the time. You're going to get someone killed," I tell him harshly, eyelids narrowing. "Shape up. You're a leader now. Deal with it."

* * *

The door shuts with a mute thunk. Trickles of the rising dawn sunlight fade through the curtains, giving me a thankful amount of vision into the room. With an armful of bed covers in hand, the last thing I need is to trip over something and wake everyone. I'm honestly shocked I wasn't discovered last night.

Tip-toeing, more like fumbling, in my new academy shoes, I set the duvet and pillow down on my bare bed and get to work.

Co-ed dorms. I balked when I finally found out, much to some pointed looks from my new teammates. The optimistic side of me hoped that we would be assigned rooms to ourselves but, apparently, Beacon doesn't think much of… privacy. I tried to cope with it last night but, uh, that didn't work out so well. The only thing worse than sleeping in a gigantic hall full of people I don't know is sleeping in a small room full of people I just met. It's a level of intimacy that I never had to deal with, not even after we moved.

Finished, I sit down on my bed and sigh gently.

Maybe I'm being the crazy one here. I need to stop assuming I know everything about what's normal for this culture when I barely know a thing about it.

Besides, it's a nice room. Rose red velvet curtains: four reasonably sized beds with soft fabric duvet covers and expertly knitted red quilts, a bookshelf separating them, two studying desks, drawers for clothing, several shelves dotting above them, every single one made of solid mahogany, a couple of closets and, obviously, a bathroom with a shower bath combo and this little bubble bath bottle that came with it. Better get to that before it's all used up.

…It's not girly to enjoy bubble baths. No, you be quiet.

The orange glow of the morning sun brightens. Every now and again I'll begin fiddling with my tie and the back of my neck, mostly so I don't look like a prat but also to stop my eyes from drooping into slumber. It's twenty-five past seven right now. Only twenty minutes to go…

That's when one of the beds rustle. My eyes shoot open and my back straightens. I'm the leader, I need to look presentable.

It's the bed on the far left of the room. Jaune and Blake are on my left and right respectively which means…

Look alert.

Weiss rises from the sheets, cupping her yawns with the back of her hand. Her hair slumps over her neck. It's surprisingly pretty when it's not tied-up. Hazy, her eyes snap to the first thing appearing out of place in the room: Me. As if she suddenly became near-sighted, she zooms in on me, rubbing her eyes to clear the image.

"Oh," she drones. "It's…."

She trails off, waiting for the answer to just jump out and present itself. She could least look like she's trying to figure it out.

"U-uh, I-it's Eren," I offer, quietly as to not wake my remaining sleeping teammates.

"…Right. You," she replies dully. Did I officially change my name last night or something? I smooth out my features and force a polite response. Leaders don't throw temper tantrums over a silly name.

"G-good morning," I greet properly, hands on my lap. Weiss furls her eyes slightly at me, causing me to reel slightly and avert my eyes.

She sighs and roll her eyes, answering with a lax, "Good morning." That's… a response? So, I think I'm doing alright? "What time is it?"

"O-oh, um," I stumble, swiping my Scroll off the desk. On the screen, it reads "Half past seven." She acknowledges this with a disinterested nod, stretching all her limbs to wake herself up. "S-so, um, I was thinking about them up in about fifteen minutes or so? Maybe give you all time to unpack?"

"Mm-hm?" She mumbles. I'll… keep going.

"Y-yeah. Like, uh, fifteen minutes to get ready? Forty to unpack our luggage? Give or take a few minutes more and, uh, fifteen minutes to make it to class?" My voice is jittery. I sort of came up with this stuff on the fly when I couldn't sleep last night. Not sure if that would work at all but, it's better to have a plan than no plan at all, right? Maybe?

Weiss steps out of bed, ironing her dressing-gown out with her arm, not even bothering to give me a second glance at any point while I was talking. Did I bore her?

"Um, Weiss?" I prompt her softly. "D-does that sound any good to you?"

"Simply wonderful," she says flatly. She walks to the front of the room, placing a hand on her chest. She hums "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do." Tonal scale? What is she-

" _Wake up!_ "

I shriek an "Eep!" My spine springs up into my shoulders as the sound of Weiss's shockingly powerful booming voice rings through my ears and the ears of our new comrades.

Blake hurls off her covers, back hunching like a cat as her shock quickly turns into a venomous glare. I think she's about to leap out her bed and maul her in a second.

Jaune yelps, wrestling with his entangled bedsheets in a panic. He shouts out, "What's going on? Are the mongoose attacking?! Oh god, my dreams are turning into real life!" Before falling off his bed in a heap. "Ow."

"Ahem! Are we all awake now?" Weiss starts, folding her arms. She's answered by our respective responses. I think she woke the whole corridor up, honestly. "Good!" She claps, smiling proudly. "Then we can all get ready. I'll be getting dressed first. Make sure you all start unpacking before I come out." She collects her assigned uniform and shuffles into the bathroom.

Well, my plan just got thrown out the window.

Blake groans, rubbing the bridge of her nose. A muffled voice comes from the ensnaring duvet.

"Can somebody help? My leg's stuck in the cover."

Oh dear. I wonder how Ruby's doing? Hopefully she's having a better morning than we are.

* * *

"Hello?" I call out as I chap the Team RPRV dorm door. "Ruby?"

As I continue to knock, a thunderous explosion booms from the inside, making the door shudder as I reel my hand back. Keening my ears, I can hear piles of heavy objects fall to the floor with a bump and several hushed voices huddled together.

"Ruby?!" I shout, expression curdling in concern. "A-are you okay?! Is everything alright?" Footsteps race hastily towards me. An 'Eek!' cries out as another loud fall is heard. Before I can utter another word, the door swings open and I'm met by Ruby, looking especially haggard with her tussled hair and rustled uniform and cape.

"Eren! Hey!" She greets, a bit too loudly. She attempts to lean coolly against the doorframe, arms unfolding as she almost slips and falls again. "What- Whoa… What's going on with you?"

"I'm… fine," I answer warily. "Are you doing okay? It sounded like a bomb went off in there."

"Oh, pssh. We're fine," she scoffs benignly, waving me off like some stereotypical skateboarder dude. "We're just doing a little DIY. No biggie. I've got it all under control."

"DIY?" I repeat sceptically. "On the first day of school?"

"Oh, yeah!" She nods, moving her head in the way whenever I try to look past her. "We didn't have enough room with all of our stuff so, I had the idea of making bunk beds instead. It's all working out perfectly."

"Nora, what are you- Nora, no! That's the wrong kind of hammer!" A voice screams.

A different voice roars, " _Goodbye, nails!_ " as another blast bursts from the inside of Ruby's dorm, chucking around splinters of wood and kicking up sawdust. I take one look at her panicked face before she quickly slams the door in front of my face and shrieks,

"IgottagoAllundercontrolSeeyouatclass!"

"Oh… kay, then," I blink. What the hell just happened?

"Sounds like sis is having a fun morning." My head perks up at the sound of Yang's approaching voice. I turn my head, greeted with a face and a burning smile. "Yo. Morning, Eren."

"Good morning, Yang," I smile back. "You, uh, don't think we should do something about that, do you?"

"Nah," she shakes her head, resting her arms behind her head. "She's got it covered. It's not the first time she's messed up a room before. She can handle this."

I'd find that easier to believe if she wasn't staring so intently at the doorknob. It's not like she could get in even if she wanted to. Right next to the door is a Student ID scanner built for our Scrolls. While it can be opened normally from the other side, you require someone from the team designated to open it from this side. That, or pray that they were stupid enough to leave the window open.

She's still staring, by the way.

"Um, Yang?" I prod tentatively. She twirls to face me, acting as if her intentions are still an unknown or something.

"So! How's the new team?" She asks casually. My back slumps at the question. Like she really needs to ask.

"They're…" I drift off as my words are interrupt by a shrill noise echoing from my room behind us.

"Why aren't you dressed yet? I told you fifteen minutes ago that you're supposed to go in and get changed!" Weiss. Of course, it's Weiss. No special prize for guessing who she's yelling at.

"Since when was I supposed to listen to you? I'm going to finish unpacking, it won't take me long to get dressed afterwards. Stop bothering me and mind your own business," Blake snubs.

"How dare you?!" She shouts.

And off they go, at it again. We've only known each other two days and this is already the norm. Thankfully for him, Jaune's in the shower singing to himself, blissfully unaware of the argument occurring in the room next to him. This is my team.

I sigh again.

"Rough goings, huh?" Yang says.

"Yeah…" I sigh, rubbing my temples. When I woke up this morning, I had this picture-perfect idea of an amicable, easy, non-confrontational day filled with training: improving our skills, learning new things about the Grimm, normal stuff. Stuff I wanted to accomplish while I was here. It was a nice dream while it lasted…

"It's fine," I continue. "I'll figure out how to fix it. They can't fight each other forever." Or can they? The very thought makes me shudder. Four long years of the pair of them constantly niggling and taking shots at one another. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache.

"What about you?" Yang asks. I turn around. Her smile has disappeared. Standing in its place in an expression that of… concern? What does she have to be concerned about? She's being very strange.

I smile reassuringly, "I'm doing okay. Bit tired but, fighting a giant killer demon bird will do that to you." I shrug nonchalantly. Never thought I'd ever have to string those words into a sentence. It did earn me a bemused smirk, though. Bonus points for that. "But, yeah. I'm alright."

I gaze down at my uniform. The suit's creased a little from putting it on and I botched tying the tie so badly that I'm hiding the bottom half under the shirt but, being here, wearing it fresh out of the package with all my measurements accounted for, it makes it feel real. Sure, I've been telling myself since I passed the Entrance exam that I was finally going but, this validates it. Huntsman classes are starting and I'm going to them like I planned all those months ago.

"Actually," I smile softly. "I'm feeling really good."

Weiss and Blake may be a hassle and I may be tasked with dealing with it, but I'm feeling genuinely hopeful about my time here. I know, once I'm finished here, home won't be too far away.

"Look at you," Yang chuckles light-heartedly. "When did you stop being all brooding?"

"I-I don't brood!" I splutter, cheeks blushing red. "I just… think a lot. That's all." Nothing wrong with some daily introspection of how messed up everything is, right?

Right?!

"Yeah?" she scoffs. Before I can stop her, she reaches a hand around my neck and pulls out my hoodie hood. "I think you thought about this way too much."

I look like a freaking cherry right now.

"H-hey!" I yipe, huddling my hood and glaring indignantly. I spent a good half-an-hour trying to stuff it all underneath my shirt. She just undid all my hard-work in only three seconds. I might've felt like I had a camel's hump surgically attached to my neck but, there's no way I can hide it now!

She laughs me off, "Oh, come on! They're not going to kick you out just for wearing your hoodie with your uniform. I told you, they're really lenient with their dress code." She flexes her hand, showing out her MMA gloves. "See? Ruby and I are wearing our stuff and they're still not going to give a crap as long as you have the uniform on. I mean, if you're that determined to wear your hoodie, you might as well be open about it."

…They did promote accessorizing your uniform when we collected them yesterday. I'm not sure if an entire article of clothing counts as an accessory. It would be a lot more practical out when I can put the hood up, though.

I sigh lightly, playing with my hood. "Alright. I'll keep it out." I give her a pointed look. "But if I get thrown out of class for this, I will blame you."

She smiles, raising her hands in faux-surrender. "Don't worry. If you get tossed out, I'll throw myself out to give you some company."

That earned a few giggles out me. "Aren't you thoughtful," I say playfully.

A whiff of smoke passes my nostrils, my forehead curling instantly. Sniffing, I locate the origins of said smoke from further down the corridor, right from where Yang came from. An orange glow emanates from one of the doors. Isn't that…

Uh oh.

"Uh, Y-Yang?" I start, my voice spiralling into panic as I tap her shoulder in haste. "Yang! You- Your dorm! Your dorm's on-!"

She spins around, face flushing in surprise.

"Oh! Oh, that is on fire. That is- My room is burning. It's burning down. Why is it doing that?" Her eyebrows furl in concentration before springing up in a gasp. "My shotgun shell stash!"

Her what?

She's sprinting away, flashing her Scroll as she bolts for her team's dorm. I can hear them freaking out about the fire from here. It's sounding pretty bad in there.

"Um, d-do you want some help?" I shout.

"Nope! I got this! I know how to deal against a few flames! I'll catch you at class!" She responds. Not that I can see the full extent of the fire or anything but, that doesn't look like 'A few' flames. As fire bursts open from the door, a confident smile spreads across Yang's face as she bounds straight into action with a battle cry. "Come at me, fire!"

The door slams shut. Furious smashing and yelling echoes from Ruby's dorm as rampaging fire whips crack and hysterical shrieking blasting from Yang's. I'm now the last man standing.

…It's a nice morning today, isn't it?

Actually, that reminds me. I still need to check what our first class is today. I grasp my Scroll from my pocket and start swiping through, searching for the timetable app I downloaded yesterday. Okay, so it's Wednesday classes today: We arrived on Monday and had our introductory ceremony, the upper years would've started their classes by now, and yesterday was our initiation. I scan through. Wednesday – Nine in the morning. It says here…

Oh _hell yes._

Grimm Biological and Behavioural Studies. It focuses on teaching students about the different kinds of Grimm we'll have to face, from common to rare. It covers how they fight, how they act in certain situations, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses and most importantly, it teaches us the tactics in which we can use to slay them. I've been pining to attend this class since day one. What luck!

I observe my surroundings. I'm still alone. Nobody will see me if I do it…

Oh, what the hell. I'll be quiet about it.

"Yes!" I whisper in triumph, fist pumping and grinning like an idiot as my body shifts with a splash.

Wait, 'Splash?'

I peer down at my feet. A flow of rushing water slaloms between my shoes, creating a small puddle steadily growing in the corridor carpet. It's leaking from behind me.

From my dorm.

" _Jaune!"_ I flinch as Weiss screeches. " _What did you do?!_ "

"Nothing! The piping exploded! I swear!" Jaune yelps back as more water begins gushing through the bottom of the door. My body sags as I rub my face.

I didn't have to deal with this back in high-school.

* * *

My trousers slosh as I fidget in my seat, droplets falling from my face, dampening my blank textbook. I can feel the beady eyes of our classmates staring mirthfully at our watery condition. I glance to my right, finding a grumpy Blake glaring at nothing in particular, and a fearful Jaune, hiding behind her at the furthest end of the row.

Why? Because right beside me, wringing her soaked ponytail like a dish-towel and practically boiling the remaining water droplets lingering on her forehead, is a fuming Weiss. I'm the only person remotely close to her right now. If she decides to snap, I'm going first. That's a nice thought.

I flash a look at Ruby, covered in dust and stray splinters, and Yang, her entire frame mutilated in black soot except her golden hair, taking solace in the fact that at least I'm not suffering alone.

Still, that shouldn't be my only consolation, right? Here I am, sitting in an Academy seat, in a reasonably sized lecture room with pictures of detailed sketches adorning the walls in the class I've been so excited about attending.

Well, you see…

"And then! I wrangled the Beowolf to the ground!"

He happened.

"Oh, he was a fighter. He wouldn't go down without a good licking, but it didn't know who he was messing with. So then, using the duct tape, I taped his jaw shut! Raising him over my head and-"

He started this story half an hour ago.

This is Professor Port – A rather rotund boisterous man with a big round face and an even bigger moustache that chewed his front lip off. He's our first teacher of the semester and our first taste of what kind of intense physical and mental training the Academy is going to put us through.

He likes to talk. A lot. About absolutely nothing.

I don't like him.

The only training I'm being put through here is whether I can stay awake long enough before his never-ending story bores me to death. I wanted to learn about how to kill Grimm, not how he managed to kick a Grimm's ass with bubble-gum and a toothpick. If that's even physically possible.

"But wait, you ask! What on earth happened to the cotton swab? Well, you see, that's when my most ingenious of manoeuvres comes into play! No Grimm would ever anticipate their ears getting cleaned, and when its guard was done, I struck!" Professor Port continues his rambling. Slowly, my eyes begin to drift off. My shoulders lean closer towards my desk.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could just rest a little? I mean, it's not like I'll miss anything important. Who would blame me if I just… rest my eyes.

Nope! Nope! Stay awake! I need to stay awake.

But he's so dull…

I pinch myself, suppressing a grunt. Boring or not, leaders don't fall asleep in class. I'll look even more of a joke than I already do.

But maybe, a little sleep wouldn't harm anyone…

 _Thunk._

My head shoots up, I force my eyes as far as I possibly can. I-I didn't do that! My forehead feels no pain. I didn't doze off. The sound came from above me.

Right next to Yang. I tilt my head upwards.

Sitting there, snoring profusely with their head face down on the desk, is a scruff of plum-purple hair connected to a girl's body. It's about mid-length, reaching to the nape of her neck but the edges where it cuts off seems uneven, as though someone took a rusty hatchet to it, tuckered out after three decent hits and said 'Eh. Whatever. I'll finish it later.'

The closer I peer into it, the clear majority of it isn't much better. Yang's hair is unkempt and rowdy but that's mostly because of the sheer quantity of it. This girl took her hair into her uncle's dark basement, grabbed all the tools she could gather, and started to beat the poor thing half to death. If anybody saw me with hair like that, I'd be dragged away, shaved bald and everyone would call it euthanasia.

Professor Port clears his throat. I spin back around, leaving the issue to Yang. He scowls at the girl briefly before continuing his oh-so interesting story. I'm guessing his mind-set is a, 'If they're not going to listen to my story, it's their loss,' kind of deal.

"How disgraceful," Weiss tuts, scribbling away in her textbook. I fight back my deadpan expression. Her page is filled with every word from his story but, what's the point if the story, well, doesn't have a point?

"And as I returned to the village, Blunderbust in hand, welcomed by a roar of cheers praises singing my name!" He cheers his story to the finish. I mentally blench. "Now then, students, can any of you please explain why these tactics led to my victory?"

Woah, sir. That sounds like a veteran Huntsman job.

"Yes, you there!" He points. I follow it, finding Weiss at the other end. My eyebrows rise as she clears her chest.

"You used every item on hand to help you win. Your use of the duct-tape pinned the Beowolf down for a sufficient amount of time and your use of the cotton swab distracted it before it could've escaped and attacked the village. Your ingenuity and quick-thinking saved the lives of all those villagers."

…What?

"That is correct! Well done, Miss Schnee!" Port praises merrily. What?! "Beowolves may be the most common and trifling of Grimm, but they are not to be underestimated. A single Beowolf can slaughter an entire village of no less than eighty people within minutes if allowed. Letting my guard down around it was a potentially grievous mistake. However, their younger kin are impulsive, uncoordinated and inexperienced. Understanding that fact and using it to my advantage was what allowed me to slay the beast and save those poor people that day."

I stare at Weiss wide-eyed. She understood all that drivel? Her eyes are directed at the front but, for a mere moment, I feel them flicker to me, smirking smugly at my shock.

I… I should start scribing all of this. It could come in use when we're out in the field.

"But sir," one of our classmates shouts out. "I thought Huntsmen were supposed to be honourable. Is that not true?" He almost sounds disappointed.

Professor Port chuckles heartily. "Of course, it's true, dear boy! Honour is a staple of the Huntsman way. We could not be who we are without it." His facials straighten as his voice turns serious. "However, honour should not be the death of an innocent life. At their core, the Huntsman and Huntress Academies were formed with the ideal of protecting the innocents of Remnant and fending off the monsters that plague them. To preserve honour above the lives we're meant to protect would betray the very foundations to which this very Academy was founded upon."

"Hmph. Well if that's true." Another classmate stands from his seat. Built like a brick house, he towers over everyone in the rest of his row. "Why the hell should any of us be honourable at all? Why don't we just gather a massive army, bait a whole bunch of Grimm to some village, charge in, and then slaughter every one of those monsters? Force them back to the hellhole where they came. Kill them all now and they'll never be a problem again."

Port merely shakes his head. "If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting then that would betray something more valuable than honour could ever be." His eyes narrow. "Our humanity."

The boy scoffs and lays back in his seat. Port continues his speech. "Make no mistake, honour is not the be all and end all of Huntsman traits but what it's connected to is infinitely more important. Our capacity for empathy."

"What a load of bullshit," the towering boy grumbles.

Port's voice slowly fills with passion. "Without it, why, every single person in the world would be cruel, selfish, abusing others simply to benefit themselves. To disregard honour is to disregard common decency. To lack respect for anyone but yourself. To refuse to lend a helping hand to a poor soul in dire need."

I glance absentmindedly at the back of Ruby's head.

"To be without honour makes us no different than the Grimm."

An uncomfortable silence consumes the room. I wiggle against my seat, pencil dangling from my fingertips. I'm afraid to break to silence and suddenly draw attention to myself. That's when Professor Port thankfully begins talking again.

"Honour should not be stupidity. Pragmatism should not be at the cost of empathy. A true Huntsman embodies both these traits at their best. Kindness without foolishness. Strategic thinking not at the expense of those we protect. Every single one of you has a choice whether you follow these principles, as does every sentient being on Remnant." He lifts a finger.

"But, the moment you decide that the life of one person is less important than your own desires…" He lours scathingly at us all. "You revoke your right to be a Huntsman."

I shiver.

"Does that answer your question, Mister Winchester?" He gazes towards the slumping boy, muttering an unimpressed 'Feh' at him. Apparently not.

I notice that, during his talk, my body began to slowly shrink behind my desk for reasons I don't entirely know. It… It's not like the question was directed at me, exactly. Maybe the intensity was just getting to much for me.

I hope that's the case anyway…

A loud beeping sound pierces the room. Startled, I flip out my Scroll, gazing at the time. Ten o'clock? The last thirty minutes went by that quickly?!

"Oh, dear," Professor Port mumbles, his tone returning to its original jovial demeanour. "It appears time got away from me once again." He folds his arms behind his back, puffing out his chest. "Very well! I shall release you all now, children. Revise pages nine through to seventeen for our next lesson on Friday. Class dismissed!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, I got rid of the Weiss versus the Boarbatusk fight. For what I'm attempting to do with the Eren/Weiss dynamic, I didn't think it was strictly necessary. The dorm scene and the bit where she answers Port's question felt more appropriate pacing-wise and it allowed me to touch upon Huntsman idealism and my interpretation of Cardin's character. I don't think it's too much of a loss and I prefer writing my own original scenes anyway.

Plus, I just wanted a rest after almost five straight chapters of fight scenes. There's only so much delicious destruction a man can create before he needs to rest.

Anyways, what do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 – Academic Activities**

Rampant chattering and scurrying students greet us as we burst out from the classroom doors. Our classmates quickly disperse into the growing crowd, some pairing up or clinging to their newly formed social circles. I shuffle my academy bag back onto my back, scuffling the strap around my hood as Jaune and I trail after Weiss.

"So," Jaune starts. "Is it just me, or did we switch classes halfway through that?"

I hum in agreement, forehead crinkling in thought.

Ironically, while I can't remember a thing from the droning first half, Professor Port's words from the latter half of the lesson are still rattling around in my skull as my mind scuttles from place to place, trying to pinpoint the reason why. While the words are clearly having some influence, it's not the source. It's the way he said it. Passionate yet calm. Strict but not demanding. It's a 'Take or leave it' sort of vibe.

It reminds me of Qrow. He'd talk that way whenever he'd lecture me during training.

The comparisons aren't exact, that'd be necromantic level creepy, but they're comparable enough to take notice. Enough that, despite talking two different subjects, I feel that thin connection.

But why is that and why does it make me feel so… anxious?

Is it because of fingers?

…Fingers?

Click. I bolt back into reality with a yelp. Weiss retracts her hand, resting it on her waist.

"Are you done?" She says with a scowl. "If you're not going contribute to the conversation, the least you can do is pay attention."

"A-ah," I fumble. I did it again, didn't I? "S-sorry." She turns away, prodding the side of her head with a sigh. Even Jaune's looking at me strangely.

"You alright? You zoned out for, like, a good half-minute. What were you thinking about?" Jaune asks.

Weiss interrupts before I can say anything, "It doesn't matter. It wasn't anything important and we have our next class to attend." I quell any hints of irritation before they bubble to the surface. It's probably for the best anyway. She points to my pockets. "Take out your Scroll and find out what class we have next."

I blink. Why is she telling me to do it? Her Scroll's registered with the Academy just like mine is. She, just like everyone else, should have the timetable app installed on her Scroll already.

Nevertheless, I do as she says, swiping the screen open and flicking to my timetable and scanning my eyes across to the right date and timeslot. Wednesday – After ten in the morning. It's…

"Nothing?" I say aloud.

"Seriously? Free period already?" Jaune says, dubious, moving around to look over my shoulder. I lift it up higher for him to see properly, his face leaning closer to the screen. "Woah. You weren't kidding. We don't have anything until after lunch."

Not only that, there's a few days where we're off for at least two hours.

Generally, the Beacon Academy daily regiment lasts from nine until five on weekdays: Three hours in the morning, one or two around midday for lunch, three in the afternoon and then its dinner. There's obviously some variances here and there between the different years but, that's how the typical rigorously draining academy days goes.

So, to calculate, we're losing half a day's worth of classes almost every day. That doesn't seem right.

What also doesn't seem right is how Weiss, instead of screeching loudly and venting steam from her ears, is instead calmly pondering to herself about something.

"So, it's today? That's even faster than I expected. How very efficient," she murmurs with an impressed smile. As if she could feel the weight of our combined gazes, her head snaps up, eyebrows furling as her eyes dart around us. "Where is Blake?"

We spin around following her sight, expecting to see the raven-haired girl with the bow slinking behind us, leaning up against a wall and minding her own business but there's no one there. The only people remaining over from class are a couple of teams, a couple of familiar faces included, and a few stragglers – None of them wearing a neatly tied black bow.

She snuck away? How is that possible? I swear, I felt her behind me the whole time.

"Okay," Jaune says, raising a hand. "Not going to lie, that's kind of creepy, but also really cool! I want to learn how to do that! Then I'd finally be able to live out my lifelong dream!" He gushes, before his expression takes a staggering turn for the overtly dark and brooding.

"The Hunts-Man will soon rise."

"Shut up, Jaune," Weiss groans. He promptly shuts up and stands at attention. She clears her throat and tones a commanding tone. "Right then, Jaune-" She pauses on him for a stretched couple of seconds before, much to his chagrin, skipping to me. "You. Go find Blake and tell her that we're having lunch in the cafeteria strictly at twelve. She's your partner. She's your problem to deal with."

That's me told. Apparently.

"Wait, what about you? What are you doing?" Jaune asks. Weiss looks at him sourly.

"Never you mind 'What I'm doing.' I have a few errands that require my attention. Besides, they don't affect you, Jaune. Don't be a pest," she reprimands. Before either of us utter a single word of protest, Weiss turns around and pries her Scroll from her pocket. "Remember: Twelve. In the cafeteria. Don't be late."

And then she begins to walk, disappearing down the hall with her earlobe to the receiver. I stare at her back the whole way, chewing my lip. If she wasn't being blatant before, I think I understand what she's doing now.

Nobody wanted the position more than her…

"Sheesh," Jaune exhales, ruffling his hair. "She should've joined the military. She'd make a great drill sergeant." He directs his attention to me. "Do we even know where the heck Blake would even go? You only got her name, right?"

I nod meekly, "Y-yeah." I couldn't well up the courage to ask her anything else. Hanging off the edge of a tower wasn't exactly the most opportune place to get to know someone in the first place. I was pretty much working off the residual adrenaline from the fight.

Beacon Academy's a huge place. Who knows where Blake could be right now.

Jaune groans lightly, "That's no good. We don't have any way to call her either."

I mumble in acknowledgement. Without any clues, we won't just need four hours, we'll need the whole day to find her. There's not much I can do if she doesn't want to be found. Though, I'm not entirely convinced Weiss would accept that as an excuse.

I sigh gently. This is going to be a pain.

"Having trouble, boys?" My head perks up as Yang and Ruby break off from their teams and approach us.

"She's as bossy as usual," the latter adds, glaring at the corner Weiss had just spun around.

Jaune gives a few forceful chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, it… never really stops with her." Isn't that the truth. It's no wonder she wants the leadership position as much as she does.

I greet them both with a small wave. "Hey guys. What's going on?" Yang's eyes flicker to her sister.

"Well, since we've off until lunch, Ruby had an idea about how we should kill the time," she says, smiling proudly as she bumps shoulders with her sister.

Ruby nods eagerly. "Yeah! I was thinking that our teams could hang out? Look around campus: see what the facilities look like, maybe check out the weapons?" She says that last part almost slyly. "It'll be so much fun! You can even bring Jaune with you."

"Hey!" Jaune cries in offense. Being a plus one wouldn't exactly be a dignified position.

"What do you say, Eren? You in?" Yang asks. As tantalising as hanging out at school with actual friends sounds, I must raise my arm in decline.

"Sorry guys. I can't. There's somewhere I need to go," I say.

"There is?" Jaune interrupts, eyebrows squinting. I probably should've mentioned that when we were talking. Bit belated on my part.

"Oh…" She bemoans, visibly slumping at my answer. Thankfully, her disappointment melts away as her smiles quickly brightens. "Alright, but you should definitely come next time! My team's really cool and friendly. You just have to meet them!"

She takes two steps forward, practically a breath away from pressing her face against mine. I fidget slightly. Why do I feel like I'm being extorted by the cutest mobster ever? 'Ey', hang out with my team and I won't have to bust your kneecaps, capiche?'

Sweat starts drooling down my neck.

"Y-y-yes! Of course!" I splutter. Just don't hit me with your rose bat!

"Great!" She cheers, hopping in place. She soon bounds back, aiming to return to her team. "I've gotta go tell the team what's going on. You're joining us for lunch, right?"

Taking a much-needed breath, I nod. "Yeah. I'll be there." As if I wouldn't?

"See you then!" She beams.

"See you, Ruby," I send her off with another wave, watching as her three teammates wait on her to return, as the tall red head –Pyrrha, I keep forgetting- smiles sweetly at the smaller girl as they begin chattering to each other again. Seems like she's really taken to that girl.

Hearing Yang chuckle, I realise that I'm not the only one who's noticed.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" She asks, a melancholic tinge almost seeping into her words. "I've been trying since she joined Signal Academy to get Ruby to socialise more, and here she is organising a get together between our teams."

I feel taken aback somewhat. Ruby? Anti-social? That didn't match up with my image of her these last six months. She was the one who went out and asked to be my friend after all.

"She seemed normal to me," I tell her. Yang scoffs lightly, folding her arms.

"You're a special case, Eren. She never acted like this back at Signal." She shrugs benignly. "Sure, she did make a few friends there but, she never really socialised with anyone else but them. The same two or three friends and that's it." Her gaze zones in on Pyrrha. "Whatever happened back in that forest, it's made a difference in her."

I hum thoughtfully. This is all new information to me. Despite knowing them for so long, I made it a sort of principle to never intrude on anything where I wouldn't be wanted. To not pry on anything that's none of my business.

I figured Ruby more social. Maybe not as much as Yang but, more so than me anyways. I don't think I was wrong to not be a nosy sod. It'd be somewhat hypocritical of me to do so when I can't tell them much about home.

And yet, I feel an agitated tremor as I play with my fingers.

"Eren," Yang says. I force my fidgeting to stop.

"Y… yes, Yang?"

"I'm being replaced."

…Huh?!

"What?!" I exclaim, spinning around and finding myself faced with a wide eyed despairing Yang, latching onto my shoulders tightly.

"It all makes sense! How friendly she is, how helpful she is, how much taller she is! Heck, she's even more muscular than me! Me! That Pyrrha wants my spot as best big sister!" She talks in a manic pace. Her grip intensifies with every second as she begins hurling me back and forth like a deranged strangling madman in an insane asylum. "She's thinks she can take the Ruby's big sister position away from me?! Weh-heh-heh-hell! She's got another thing coming!"

She lets me out of her grasp and I flop to the ground like my bones melted. The floor and the ceiling are crashing into another. I smell burning. Am I having a stroke?

Fist smacks against palm as Yang roars out, "She's not going to take my adorable little sister away from me that easy!" Soles click against the floor, gradually becoming quieter with each step. "Eren! I'm going to war! If I don't return, know that I died for a worthy cause! Remember to clean the house!"

"B-b… Bye, Y-yang," I wave a single arc before my arm droops to the floor again.

Weightless, I barely notice as I'm dragged to my feet.

"So, uh, are your friends normally that crazy?" Asks Jaune. A bunch of gobbled syllables is my answer. He simply nods. "Yep. Thought so."

* * *

"Okay, just so I've got this straight," Jaune prompts as we walk down the hallway. "You're… not going to look for Blake?"

"It's… not that I'm not going to or anything," I reply, fingers tapping apprehensively against my open Scroll. "I will. Afterwards but, I'd rather grab what I'm looking for first while I still have the time." It's something I've been planning on doing since the first day I arrived here. Even with Weiss' strictly imposed time-limit, I have absolutely no intentions of dropping it.

"Sounds pretty important," he muses, weaving around a passing student. "You sure it couldn't wait? Your friends seemed cool. Going with them could've made finding her way easier."

That's… true. They were going to explore campus, which I'm probably going to need to do anyway. Having extra eyes scanning the facilities for her would've made the task far more tolerable and probably would've succeeded in less time, not to mention, it would've been far more fun.

However, I shake my head mutely. If I did that, I'd be hurling my problems at Ruby and Yang for them to solve yet again. I've done that far too often as it is. Anymore and I'd nothing less than a leech. Besides, I can't stand crowds.

But, putting that in consideration…

"What about you?" I ask him "Why didn't you go with them, Jaune? I'm sure they would be fine with you coming along." I slide my finger across the screen, flashing my contacts list. "I can still call them and ask where they are. You don't need to stick with me, you know."

"Nah. I'm good," he replies, barely giving the idea any thought. I blink in surprise.

"A-are you sure? Where I'm going's not that fun. I don't want to drag you through something boring," I say. Weiss didn't pin the job of finding Blake on him, only me. It's not fair on him to lose his free-time for nothing out of some misplaced sense of obligation.

But Jaune just waves me off. "Yeah, yeah! I'm sure. They have their whole 'Team bonding' thing going on. It would've been weird without you and the others. I'd be like… a third wheel except with eight people. A ninth wheel. Prom. It'd be Prom." He shudders horridly, hissing at a memory. "Trust me: Hanging out with you is way better."

He seems convinced…

A small smile grows on my face. If he's so certain that that's how he wants to spend his time off, then I sure as hell won't stop him.

"Okay then," I nod, swiping the screen back to the academy map and reading the directions closely…

I feel like he should be asking me about a certain something right now.

"Oh!" Jaune yelps. He slaps his head in exasperation and garners my attention. "Uh, where exactly are we going?" Well, if he isn't certain after all, this'll scare him away.

"I'm, um, heading to the library to grab a few things," I tell him, casually vague about the contents. The less he asks questions about what it's for, the less likely he'll dig. "It's not too far now. It's just across the foyer, on the east side of the building." A grimace slithers under his lips but he keeps his voice even.

"Oh."

…Wait for it. Wait for it.

"They have comics, right?"

"Oh yeah."

"Yes!" He cheers. My lips twitch mirthfully. Hey, it's not like I wasn't going to grab a couple on the way out either. With a skip in his step, Jaune coils his arm up into an undisciplined salute. "Lead the way, o' leader!"

…I turn my attention back to the map, keeping tabs on the exact route to take.

After a couple sets of stairs, a mix-up on the correct corridor to take – Maps are tricky, I swear, the pair of us arrive at the grand open space of the Beacon Academy foyer. Bright flags adorn the doorway: the academy insignia plastered on the sprawling floor tiling and a couple of holographic screens with a slideshow of academy news and general information rotating every five seconds.

None of this is anything new to us, we passed through here earlier on the way to class. As I've already spent my time to gawk earlier, I assumed that I could simply power-walk through without missing anything.

Assumption is a terrible habit to have.

"Woah," Jaune says, halting his step and pointing. "Hey Eren. Check that out."

Following his finger, I spot a moderately large crowd gathering at the far back wall of the foyer, where your eyes land as soon as you walk through the entrance.

Previously, that wall was bare – Just an empty space for aesthetics, I thought.

Now, it has a holographic projection beaming out boldly, stretching the full length of the wall, stopping a miniscule three inches from the corners. The projection is split into three columns. At the top of each is a name: Weapon Classes, Clubs and Societies, and The Arena.

"Any idea what that's all about?" Jaune asks.

"I'm… not entirely sure," I answer hesitantly. The general inkling is there but, the technical workings evade me.

My ears twitch as I hear paper whipping in the air and a loud voice shouting from the outside of the crowd. A guy, in uniform and somewhat older looking, is calling out into the crowd, beckoning them forth with what I think is a flyer for something. It's a bit difficult to see through his motions.

"I'll go ask," Jaune decides, suddenly striding forward as I splutter an incoherent response. I was perfectly fine with just leaving this until later but, if he wants to do it now…

I shrug to myself, resigned. I've still got time. He'll be doing most of the talking, anyway.

I follow him. Quickly noticing our approach, the Flyer Guy's eyes light up like a ball of fire. He swerves around, flyers clapping against one another, and calls to us.

"Hey there, fellas! You two seem like the kind to appreciate the effort put into a freshly cooked meal." I do? I mean, he's not exactly wrong but still. Shuffling into his stack, he offers us both a pair of flyers. "How about joining the Culinary Club? You'll learn how to cook, be given your own ingredients to work with, and the club's exploring new recipes every week. It's a very valuable skill for a Huntsman to have." He beams. "Trust me: Your teammates will love you for it."

The offering hand lingers. Jaune gives an awkward smile and takes one of them awkwardly. Now I'm the only one stuck without a flyer.

Crap. I don't want to seem like I'm committing but, I don't want him to think I'm an uptight jerk. The flyer has had some work into it too: It has the room, time, design, everything.

Tentatively, I take the flyer off his hands, mumbling a polite 'Th-thank you.'

"Uh, this is great and all, the cartoon pan is adorable, but," Jaune says, indicating to the board. "What is all this?"

Flyer Guy briefly scrunches up his eyebrows before they expand in realization. "Oh! You guys are freshmen! You have no idea what the hell I'm talking about." He spins around, giggling giddily to himself. Jaune and I share a look of unease – Are we about to get stabbed?

"Okay," he turns back, stuffing the flyers under his arm. "Since you're new and I'm a year above you, let me tell you everything you need to know about all of this." This might take some time. With a powerful cough to clear his throat, he begins with the first board – Weapon Classes.

"So, you guys might have already seen those empty slots in your timetables," he says.

"The free periods?" Jaune offers. Flyer Guy confirms with a nod.

"Yeah. Lot of 'em, am I right? That's because you've actually got another class to attend. You'll notice here that fighters like yourselves tend to have their own unique fighting styles which they've honed for years. Obviously, knowing how to use your weapon effectively is important and not every student who attends Beacon has that as one of their strengths. But, with how unique certain styles are, a single teacher wouldn't be able to help every different student very well," he shrugs. "Too much territory to cover, you got me?"

I think I understand. Huntsmen are renowned fighters but, a single Huntsman can't master every method of fighting in the world. They're naturally going to be proficient with some weapons and terrible with every other.

"That's where Weapon Classes come in," Flyer Guy says. He points up at the board. "Up there is a bunch of classes you can sign up for. They've got almost every kind of basic weapon styles up there: Swords, axes, spears, the lot." No scythes, I note. "Once you've signed up, you'll attend that weapon class with a specialist teacher and other aspiring fighters. Years are slotted together in these classes so, you'll be in with us sophomores." He grins wickedly. "Don't worry. We won't be too rough on you, newbies."

We gulp audibly. Please don't tell me hazing is a real thing here. I had enough trouble avoiding this crap in high school.

"That's great! Real great," Jaune fumbles nervously. "But, uh, I'm speaking hypothetically obviously, do you… need to take one of these classes?" Flyer Guy ponders on the question with a hum.

"No, It's optional. If you don't think you need it, you don't need to sign up. Most students I know do, though. You can never be too good," he explains. Jaune tugs at the back of his neck.

"Heh. Don't I know it," he says, almost half-heartedly…

Flyer guy leans back, "Personally, I'd say go for it. You guys aren't quite set in your ways fighting-wise and there's no harm in adding a little extra to your repertoire." He flicks up a stern finger. "But if you're going to do it, you better decide soon. The cut-off date's two weeks on Friday. After that, classes are locked in and can't be changed after the semester's over. It'll be on your attendance too. If you don't like the class, tough break. You gotta go. So, be sure of what you want to do, first."

Learning a new style, huh? My close-combat game does leave much to be desired. Although, there's no harm in sharpening my aim further if I wanted to specialise. This might be something to think about.

Flyer Guy moves onto the second board.

"Clubs and Societies. These pretty much explain themselves. You know those clubs you used to attend back in school? Well, these are them but with better funded equipment and facilities to work with," he explains, scratching the back of his head. "Hell, I think about half the campus is dedicated to these things." He coughs, getting himself back on track.

"Anyway, the upper half of the board are Sports clubs and the bottom's everything else. Sports clubs take place on Saturday, everything else on Sunday. Generally, the idea behind clubs and societies is for socializing but, you can learn a thing or two that can help you out on the field when you're doing regular missions next year," Flyer Guy explains with a chummy grin.

I gaze up at the board. While the first is already lengthy as it is, the Societies board has a plethora of activities and seemingly any theme for a club imaginable. It's thrice the size of the Weapon Classes and the text has been scrunched together to fit them all in.

Jaune seems to think so too, raising his hand. "Uh, is it normal for that many clubs to be up there? There sure is a lot of them."

"Oh, sure. It's like this at the start of every semester," Flyer Guy shrugs. "They won't stick around, though. Most of those are formed by students. I'd be surprised if a third of them made it into the semester."

"Why's that?" Jaune asks. Is it just me, or is it starting to feel like a classroom in here.

Flyer Guy responds dutifully, "Proposed clubs have a deadline, two weeks this Friday. If they don't have at least two members registered by then, they're axed. No sense in keeping an empty club on the system." He puts his hands on his hips. "'Course, they can try again at the start of the next semester but, that usually goes the way you'd think it would."

People put all the time and effort into that sort of thing and it doesn't matter because nobody gives a crap.

That's sobering.

"But, you freshmen don't have to worry about that deadline," Flyer Guy says brightly. "You can join a society whenever you feel like it, if for a small cost of lien for official registration." His tone turns stern. "But, I'd stay with one sports and one other club personally. It'd be a pain just to manage multiple clubs on the same day and, you have studying to worry about." He grins cheerfully.

"Basically, don't do what I did." His body sags. "It sucked. I have to re-sit Dust Science this year." He shivers painfully. "Professor Peach is a sadist."

Dust Science is on our timetable for this semester. We can only hope that's he exaggerating then.

My stomach curdles. Learning new skills sounds great and all but, being stuck in a room with people I barely know every weekend for hours?

Nope! No way. I wouldn't survive in that kind of climate. 'Healthy' socializing be damned. If I went to these clubs, I'd suffocate to death in five minutes. Six minutes top.

Jaune on the other hand, seems to be eying the board keenly after that little lecture.

"And finally," Flyer Guy continues, pointing to the last board. "The Arena! You go there to fight."

…Jaune and I give each other looks, waiting for an elaborated explanation that never comes. Taking the initiative, Jaune speaks up.

"Is that it?" He queries.

"Yeah! That and knitting," Flyer guy answers chipperly, sniggering to himself. "Okay, okay. It's a little more complicated than that. You guys haven't had Sparring Practice yet, you'll learn what the rules of combat are there but, there are a few things out of your hands: You don't decide the amount of people fighting, you don't always have a choice who you fight and, you can't fight anyone out of your year. It's just the way it works in class. But," he holds up a finger, pausing for effect.

"In The Arena, that stuff goes out the door. You can fight who you want, how you want, when you w-" He stops, mouth churning as if he's made a mistake. "No. Wait. You can't. You and your opponent need to sign up for a time at the interface over there and it only runs on Friday afternoons and the weekend." He heaves his shoulders.

"But, other than that, you get more freedom this way, and you can even drop it on one of the occurring fights just for fun. Spectators are totally allowed. Teachers see it as a chance to learn what others' mistakes. Just don't go start gambling on the results," he explains, paling as he finishes. "Teachers crack down on that crap like its fresh coffee."

That's… something to keep in mind, I'm sure.

Still, Sparring Practice…

 _Shit._ I completely forgot about that. It's supposed to be a regular thing, too. There's no avoiding it. I can forget about The Arena for now, surviving Sparring alone is going to be complete hell.

"And there you have it! That's the three boards," Flyer Guy finishes gleefully. Like a professional opera singer after a performance, he bows proudly, flourishing his flyers in his multiple cycles. Pulling his head back up, inching closer as he gleans at us both expectantly. "Well, how was that? Five stars? Ten out of ten? Good enough to be a club tutor?!"

I don't know about that but, he's scoring a zero for personal space.

Struggling to fend off an overtly-enthusiastic Flyer Guy, Jaune looks to me in a plea for support. My eyes dart around in panic, the answer to this problem evading my grasp as I tug at my hood.

Uh, um, answer. What to say? No idea. What do I say? Oh crap!

"Uh," Jaune starts, unwittingly locking eyes with the manic guy. "It was… great?" He signals something to me. Um… Oh! Play along!

"Y-yes!" I screech, voice cracking from the suddenness of my outburst. "U-um, I learned a lot."

"Yeah!" My teammate bounds back in, playing off my comment. "Totally. Five stars."

"U-um, ten out of ten," I chime in.

"Eleven out of ten!" Jaune adds.

"I… don't think that's possible." I deadpan

"Oh," he blinks. Glancing back at the static Flyer Guy, he smiles forcefully. I attempt to match him, but I don't think my mouth can physically stretch that far. I settle on a meeker iteration instead.

Flyer guy stares blankly at the pair of us, belying whether he believes our reactions or not. Please go away…

He leaps away, hollering loudly. "Hell yeah! How'd you like that, Ced?! That tutoring gig is as good as mine!" With that 'victory' under his belt, Flyer Guy walks away, still cheering to himself, earning himself a few irritated glances.

Jaune leans forward, the front-line defence of his personal space successful, curdling the flyer into a ball and shoving it into his pocket like trash soon to be discarded.

"He was…" He starts, hands twirling as he digs for the word. "…Eccentric?"

That's a word for it, yes. I'm starting to think that this is a Remnant thing. It would explain all the wacky outfits being worn around here.

I take another look at my culinary club flyer. Skill-wise, I don't really need to attend this class. I already learned how to cook from all those nights cooking dinner with Tai. There's not really a need for me to register with them.

However, that doesn't mean I can't get better with it if I want?

Decisively, I fold the flyer up neatly and place it into my back pocket. It's nothing definite, but it's an option.

"Eren," Jaune starts. He's turning his head to the Societies board, his right cheek plump in thought.

"Hm?" I reply.

"Weiss," he turns back, expression awfully serious. "The way she moves in battle – You'd say that she's probably learnt how to dance ballet, right?" That's… a curious question but, I oblige him.

"Uh, yes. I suppose you could call it that," I nod. Her battle movement is filled with lots of flips, Pierrots and other dance-like manoeuvres that glide upon the battlefield, I'm sure. Still, "Why do you ask, Jaune?"

He remains quiet, mulling over my answer with a few tepid nods.

"Just a thought," he answers casually. After a few spare moments glancing up at the boards, he gently taps me on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go. Library awaits!"

…Best to just leave the boards for now. There's way more important stuff I need to deal with. I'll come back to this later.

"Right," I say with a nod, stepping to pace with him as we leave the foyer behind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy New Year, everybody! Here's hoping this year won't be as bad as the last!

It's not a very exciting chapter, I know. It's mostly setting up stuff, lots of dialogue which I'm not too fond of, and explaining the Weapons, Societies, and Arena systems. I'm very wary about adding stuff to the established canon world but, I'm hoping that the systems I've added will help enhance the lore of Beacon Academy and how it works. It also gives me more freedom in-case there's something I want to have Eren do with other characters in the story. Relationships are a central focus in the story, afterall and, it allows Eren to interact with characters he normally wouldn't.

Thanks again for reading! Are there any characters you'd think would make an interesting dynamic with Eren? Let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 – Breaking The Books**

The Beacon Academy Library – One of the largest information repositories on the planet.

Highly detailed archive databanks, aisles upon aisles of different genres, fiction and non-fiction, multiple high-tech holographic terminals with intercontinental communication capabilities, and a second level used for group studying or social activity. All the means available for aspiring Huntsmen with hungry minds.

That was what I was promised on the Beacon Academy webpage all those months ago. And it's everything I hoped it would be.

Jaune and I stand, gobsmacked at the sheer size of this grand hall of a library. The bookshelves here tower so tall that I'm convinced the second level was constructed around them.

"Wow," Jaune gasps. "Sure beats any bookstore I've been to."

"Same here," I concur. Though, that's not much considering I can count the occasions with a single hand. Louise, ever the self-proclaimed advocate for book-enthusiasts everywhere would hurl paper if she ever found out I willingly came here.

Granted, the circumstances needed to be quite… severe, for that to happen.

"So," he starts with a clap. "Where's this 'stuff' you're looking for?"

Right, right. There's work to be done. I point my finger.

"It should be right…" It lingers, extending out towards the library far longer than necessary. It floats among the shelves, searching for the right genre aisle through all one, two, ten, twen-

Oh, that's a lot.

"Um, Jaune," I say, scratching my cheek sheepishly. "I don't think I've fully thought this through."

"You have no idea where it is, do you?" He says knowingly.

"None whatsoever," I shake my head.

Little issue with trying to find something specific in such a large area of information: Actually bloody finding it. One of the major appeals in joining Beacon for me was the humongous repository it sported. Knowledge and knowing how to utilize it properly is one of the key traits all Huntsmen should have, so said Qrow. Hence all the lectures and classes on Remnant history, Grimm biology and so forth. I thought having such a sea of information to work with would make things easier.

Now, I'm thinking I'm more likely to drown in it.

Jaune's lips scrunch up uncertainly, his head bobbing from side to side as he ponders something.

Then, he nods confidently. "Uh, yeah. This isn't that big of a deal. We can take this," he says. He gives the gigantic bookshelf a look. "Sure, it's… big but, that just offers a challenge! This can be, like, our practice mission? Before the real thing? It'll give us some good experience!"

That's a very optimistic way of saying, 'We're going to spend the next three hours searching around, getting lost, and possibly ending up entombed by a mountain of books where we'll suffer a very wordy death,' but I prefer how he put it.

Jaune and Eren's Magical Trip through Book World. I let out a breath.

"Well, we better get started then."

Shelf by shelf, the pair of us begin digging around the genres, starting from the furthest left and working around in a clockwise rotation for the first floor. Though most aisles we pass receive no more than a quick glance, we do stop on occasion to take a gander at a few that prompt our interest.

First is the comic book aisle, where a glowering Jaune bounds up to one of the shelves and snatches up the new edition of some series he's been excitedly following, beaming like he's eight years old again.

"Is it any good?" I ask him.

The comics spill from his arms. He stares at me, mouth comically wide like I just said that kiwi sweets fall from the pale moonlight in an Alaska eclipse every April.

"What?!" He exclaims. "Y-you never- Hah. You haven't even- What? How?! That's not possible. That's messed up! What is wrong with-" He muscles his yells down, shaking like a miniature volcano filled with too much baking soda. I take a wary step back in case he explodes. I think he's breaking. He's even giggling. What.

"This needs fixing," he declares. "This needs fixing right now! You have no idea what you're missing!" Reaching an arm around the earlier volumes, he shovels them all off and hastily shoves them into my arm- Oh, wow. That's heavy. These are the first few volumes?

"U-uh, Jaune?" I try to speak up but he's far too busy scrambling his fallen comics together.

"Read these first then the rest. You'll thank me for it," he says. With everything collected, he pats me on the shoulder and keeps moving. "Just wait until six through ten, they're amazing."

"O-oh, kay," I reply awkwardly. Guess I'm stuck with these, I suppose. It's okay. It's that big of a deal. It looks cool enough. Not fond of the name, though.

Blue Vs. Red? Augh. Terrible.

Next, we find the…

U-um, romance aisle. Turns out that Jaune's quite a fan of them.

"I-I don't actually like this stuff!" So he denies. "They're for tips! For wooing the ladies."

"…You use romantic novels for dating advice?" I ask sceptically. I'm personally hoping that's just the rabid tongue of denial talking for him. That'd be far less embarrassing.

"Sure!" He answers, far too enthusiastically. "I mean, girls read this stuff all the time. Even when it's terrible! There must be something they're doing right? Why else would they read it?"

Probably because they realise that the real thing's full of bullshit that has the potential to screw you up emotionally and mentally?

…Not that I know the first thing about romance or anything.

"Trust me," Jaune says, patting the cover. "Watch. With this bad boy's help, I'll have a girlfriend by the end of the school year." He pauses. "Hopefully." That's more like it. "Come on. Next aisle awaits!"

I nod. He turns around and keeps moving. My eyes flicker to one of the books, cautiously scanning around in-case anyone will catch me.

I snatch the book up, burying it into stack of comics from earlier. With the deed done and the book swiftly hidden from sight, I move to catch up with him.

Nobody must know.

We pass by the Fantasy aisle as we continue onward. Jaune barely gives, what I assume to be, obscure works a second glance, but a few of them pique my curiosity. I've always wondered what a planet filled with personal superpowers, grotesque monsters and technologically advanced societies consider fantasy?

I smuggle a couple copies for myself while he isn't looking, adding to the stack. It's straining a little but, nothing horrid.

Then, we pass by a couple of Sci-Fi aisles. Jaune doesn't really care much for the ones besides some supplementary material for a couple of movie series.

I swipe a few novels up. My arms are starting to struggle but, I can handle it. It's good.

Then, we find the science section and- Oh, wow. There's a lot of books on transportation here. I should grab myself one of these.

Oh! The culture section! They should have a few books on Faunus in here somewhere! I just have to find myself some of those!

"Uh, Eren?" Jaune prompts. "Don't you think you're carrying a bit too much?"

"No," I reply, turning around. "Wh-ahh!" My arms slump, almost tipping my stack of books onto the floor as I just barely catch them. I let out a gasp of air, straightening my face.

"Why do you say that?"

"I think it's pretty clear why," he says, eying my reasonably sized collection of books. I bite my lip, feigning ignorance. I have no idea what he's referring to. It's clearly healthy and in no way damaging to my arms. Nope.

"Hey, if you're struggling, I've got some arm space. I can carry th-" He leans forward, arms outstretched to take half the stack away. In a flurry, I spin away from him, concealing the titles away from him with a flustered arm.

"Ahh!" I yelp, my words thrashing out like a gargling goose. The pair of us creep into an uncomfortable silence as we stand still, eyes flickering around like attention deficient buzzards.

"A-ah," I say, crawling out of the silence. "I mean, ah! I completely forgot to grab a computer! I should really do that, right away. Like now. Right now!" My back fully turned to him, I start moving away. "Y-you stay here and keep looking. I'll be right back!"

Speedily, books jostling in my arms, I make a beeline out of the aisle, shoulders buffing against one of the shelves on the way out.

"Woah, Eren! Hold up!" Jaune calls after me in vain. "What were we even looking for?! Eren!"

Keep moving. Don't look back. Keep moving!

Quickly locating an empty machine, I stash the books underneath the desk with a thump before setting myself down on the chair and resting my head on the desk with an even louder thump. Maybe if I smash it hard enough, the impact will break through my Aura and shatter my stupid skull.

That was dumb. That was so, so dumb of me. And rude! Really rude! I pretty much just screeched in his face and ran away! I must look like a complete madman to him!

I glance down at my bookstack, grimacing. I really should've hidden them better. Stupid. So stupid.

I sigh. Well, I found a computer, as I said I would. I think I'm feeling a bit calmer now so, I'd better go back and meet up with him. Poor sod probably feels abandoned.

Draping my suit over the chair, leaving my vest as the only article of clothing covering my hoodie, I head out to find Jaune, power-walking to the area where I left him.

Only to discover an empty space where he was standing last.

"Jaune?" I call tentatively. My head ducks between the nearby aisles, under the assumption that he hasn't strayed too far away. wander between the massive bookshelves, peering around for my teammate.

I wasn't that long away, was I? I Did he get bored and leave? He had his own books to check out. Maybe he decided to use the opportunity to bolt it? Leave and spend the rest of his time somewhere else.

Would he really do that, though?

…Where is he?

The sharp sound of paper turning halts my step. Despite coming from a book, obviously, the rate is rapid with barely a few seconds in-between turns.

Someone, a keen reader, is close by. I wasn't aware they had reading areas this closely to the books. Is Jaune there?

It's worth a check.

Pensively, I tune my ears to locate the sound, seeking it out with tepid footsteps. Past a few corners, along a few aisles, hastily pushing some books I bumped back into position and I reach the source of the flipping book pages. Peering around another corner, I balk at the discovery of a lone figure, sitting crossed-legged on a couch by herself, amber eyes darting from word to word at a swift pace.

B-Blake!

What is she doing here?!

I shimmy away before she can see me, placing my back against one of the shelves. My throat clogs up as my shoulders shudder from anxiety. Slightly, as to not give myself away, I peek out. Her attention remains fixated on the book. She hasn't detected me yet. Thank god.

…Thank god? What the hell am I saying? I was supposed to find her in the first place. Am I that braindead? If anything, I should be thanking my luck.

All I need to do is go up and tell her about lunch and then leave. Then I can study without a guilty conscience. Five words: We're having lunch at twelve. That's it. Easy. Nothing too flashy, no opportunity to look like a dunce. Okay? Okay.

Go on.

Gingerly, I lean out my head, taking a step forward out from cover.

One step. Good.

Two steps. Not too bad.

Three ste-

Her eyes wobble, my shoulders seize. As if slamming on the abort button, I pull my ligaments back behind my hiding place without any warning. Anxiety jams against the muscles in my neck. I didn't last more than a second. Damn it. Damn it! I'd follow through my skull shattering idea right now if it wouldn't give my position away.

Absolutely amazing, Eren. Stunning. Totally okay with shooting a Beowolf in the face but I can't even walk up and tell a person simple information. Truly glorious, dumbass.

I have to go back out there. She needs to know about lunch or else Weiss will give me hell.

"H-hey! Blake!"

My eyes snap to the reading area, easily recognising the voice addressing Blake with an uneasy quiver.

"Jaune," Blake answers with a drone.

"Y-you remember my name," he replies. The cheer in his is decisively forced but he's determined to stick with it. "Th-that's good. Good, good. I mean, uh, we're teammates now. We should know each other's names cause', you know, we have to fight together and stuff, and it'd be pretty difficult to do that without knowing… our names."

Blake hums absent-mindedly, continuing to read her book as if Jaune had been a fly floating around aimlessly.

…I should leave.

He's already talking to her. He's bound to mention something about lunch at some point. There's no need for me to be involved now. I'll only be an extra body taking up space.

Y-yeah, that's right. Makes it easier for him to concentrate.

Pushing off, I slink away into the library underbelly, slivering away as quickly as possible, picking up the tempo as my confidence in my withdrawal grows.

I'm away. There's no way they'll know I was there. If he brings it up, don't say anything that'll suggest otherwise.

I let out a breath. It's not like I was going to make a move or anything. He'll probably handle it better than me anyhow.

…I stop walking. A certain pattern among the genre names starts to crop up in the aisles: evidence of ghosts, unproven theories on Grimm origins, unironic books on vampire-wolves?  
This stuff is batshit crazy.

I'm getting close. I move up further down the line. It must be here. Closer. Closer…

I skid to a halt in front of the last portion, utter glee growing within as the name confirms what I've been searching for. I've finally found it.

Remnant Legends and Myths.

Ancient stories closely connected to real world locations and events yet. Stories about mystical beings: spirits, gods, magic, and other such fantastic folk lore tales, stuff that no normal person would look at it, bereft of all the evidence proving such unrealistic phenomena, and accept it as fact. If someone told you otherwise, they must be deluded or insane.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

If I'm going to find a way home, I need to do research and the typical news stories won't be any help with something as crazy as what I'm experiencing. With something so mental, trivial widely-accepted facts aren't going to cut it.

I need to find a link – A connection between my situation and one of these fairy tales: Glimpses of other worlds, suddenly appearing people, strange names, use of languages that 'Don't exist,' anything that may relate to home. There has to be an explanation, a source, a lead that I can work with.

I can't be the only person this has ever happened to. I can't be…

Sucking air through my nostrils, I grab an armful of titles, any will suffice – I'm starting from scratch here, and I make a speedy return to my desk to get stuck in.

About halfway through the first book, Jaune comes out into view, his hand almost magnetically attached to his cheek.

"There you are!" He greets, waving his free hand, rushing to my station. "You will not believe who I just ran into." If only. "I found Blake. She's here in the library. I've already told her about the whole lunch deal." His eyes flicker statically. "Don't think she's going."

Wait, is that why he's…

"D-did she slap you again?!" I reel back in shock.

"What?" He replies, blinking. I indicate to his face cradling hand. He splutters in realization. "O-oh crap!" He swipes it away immediately, grinning nonchalantly as if he did something as ordinary as killing a mosquito. "Oh, that? Pfft. I dunno, man. Arms just do weird things when you're not using them. It's like they've got a mind of their own."

My eyes bend into a glare. Does he seriously really expect me to buy a piss-poor attempt at a lie like that?

His grin fades under the weight of my eyes, his shoulders shuffling together as he tugs at his collar.

"Yeah, I didn't think that'd work either," he says. Yielding, Jaune sighs. "No, she didn't slap me. My hand was there because she…" His words descend into incomparable mumblings. "Because she looked at me and I…" More mumbles.

"I'm sorry? You did what?" I ask.

"Flinched." He grumbles. "She gave me a look and my hand just… went up there and wouldn't let go. Like a total badass." He sarcastically gives himself two thumbs up. "Way to go me. Huntsman in training. Ran away from book girl with attitude. Watch out, Grimm, if you look at me menacingly, I might crap myself." He rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"O-oh," I say. I bend my head forward. "I-I'm sorry. I should've let it go." It's sure something I wouldn't want to admit.

"Please don't tell anyone. I want to have at least one week without people realizing I'm lame," he bemoans.

I bob my head. "Not a soul." If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping quiet.

"Thanks, man," he replies gratefully. "By the way, what time are we on?"

Oh, yeah. Blake may not be going but, we have our own lunch to grab. I gaze at the lower corner of the computer screen.

"Twenty-five past eleven," I reply. Wow, we spent almost an hour of that searching around the bookshelves. We haven't even seen what's offered on the second floor. Jesus, this place is immense.

"Hey, we better head off then while we've still got time. We'll need to leave our books in the room before we can grab some grub," Jaune says. "The room should be dry by now." I feel like there's a maybe he's forgoing from that sentence.

"You can go on without me," I say. "I want to do a little extra studying before I head back."

"You sure?" He asks, eying my now two large stacks of books. "That seems like it'll be pretty heavy. You don't want me to carry some of that?"

I give my books a second glance. Considering that I almost threw my back out carrying only one of those earlier…

"No," I decline. "No, I'll be alright. I'll simply shed a few if it's too heavy for me to carry. I have it covered."

His eyebrows furl insecurely at my reassurance but, he doesn't challenge me on it, vouching to simply shrug instead.

"Alright, if you say so," he says. His arms move up in a motion, about to say goodbye, when they halt jarringly. "Oh! I almost forgot!" They go digging through his pockets. His tongue flicking in concentration, he presents his Scroll. "We don't have each other's phone numbers, yet!"

I resist the urge to smack myself upside the head. Of course! Phone numbers. We were supposed to do that at the start, all of us. What a stupid thing for me to forget.

"Yeah. We should do that right now," I agree, flipping out my own. Opening the screen, I go surfing through to my contacts list. Inside are four names: Ruby, Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow. Ruby's name flashes repeatedly with fifty-six texts and five voicemails residing beside it. I really should find some spare time to read all those at some point.

My finger glides past them for the 'Add contact' function when, subconsciously, I find it hovering above Qrow's name. My fingers unconsciously flex and clench as my lips purse.

"Eren?" Jaune prompts. "I found my number. You ready?"

Huffing quietly, my finger glides across to its intended target.

"Yeah. I'm ready," I reply. A few mistimed button presses, a correction of misplaced phone numbers and a successful exchange later and the pair are all set. My contact amount totals to five.

What a curious feeling, that is.

"Cool! Send me a quick text when you're heading our way and I'll let you know where we're sitting," he says. He waves his Scroll as he departs to grab his books. "See you then!"

"See you," I wave in return, watching as he disappears in the direction of the main desk. That's one thing sorted, at least. Saves me from the dreaded cycle of remembering and forgetting to do it, like I know I would've.

Getting Weiss' and Blake's will be a cornucopia of fun. Looking forward to that.

I heave out a sigh, glancing at Qrow's name in my Scroll. I send him a text message informing him of what had occurred at the Entrance exam a few weeks ago and, despite the buffering circle being absent from my screen, I haven't received a snarky reply from him yet. He left for some 'Work' over a month ago and he did say that he wouldn't be around for a while but…

I know how strong he is. He's fine.

He has a lifetime of experience fighting Grimm. He's fine.

He might be a drunken git all the time, but he's not stupid. He's fine. Stop worrying he's fine.

He's.

Fine.

…I set the Scroll down. I should worry about myself, first. There's so much I need to contend with here.

Such as how in the sodding hell am I going to carry all these books back to the room by myself?

* * *

A wagon. In a high-tech high-profile combat academy, they give students with too many books a bright red wagon to drag all the way from the library to the dorms.

There are some sadistic members of staff at this academy, I swear it.

Needling my back into place, I continue pulling the lead with both arms. Thank god, we don't have Sparring lessons today, pulling this damn thing for ten minutes is enough physical exercise for one day.

Still, I'm on my dorm's floor now. I only need to take it there, unload everything under my bed and then taking it back will be a cinch.

I feel like I'm forgetting about something here.

A weight buffs against my back.

"Oof!" I grunt. Oh, yeah. Watching where I'm going. Like a normal being. I turn around to meet the poor soul I just walked into. "S-sorry, I-"

I stop. Immediately.

Standing before me are four guys: one with long blue combed back, one with an unremarkable face, one with a bright green mohawk, and the final one, the person whom I barged into, is the towering mass who stood up in class earlier – Winchester.

He turns around, dwarfing me by a margin not even Tai managed to achieve. He stares me down, a giant wall in my path, standing steady and hardy in my almost miniscule presence. He glances down at my uniform, nostrils visibly flaring up as he mutely makes a connection I'd rather be oblivious to.

Then, he glares at me. I shirk instantly.

I should leave. Right now. Stricken with panic, I haul the wagon around to flee.

"I-I'm so sorry! I'll get out of your-"

Thump. The wagon stops moving. I pull and pull but I feel like I'm trying to shift a mountain.

I glance back. Winchester's foot weighs heavily against the back on the wagon. I'm not moving anywhere, anytime soon.

He smirks at me.

 _Oh, no._

"Yo, Cardin," the one with the mohawk speaks. "What are you doing? Lunch is soon and I'm hungry as hell. Stop screwing around and let's go."

"Guys," Cardin says, beckoning them with a finger. "Don't you think he looks a little familiar?"

"…No," he replies with an apathetic grump. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, more than willing to leave, when the one with the comb over stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No, no. Hold on, Russel. I think Cardin's onto something here," he says, leaning his chin on a finger. "Look a little closer. Doesn't he look like someone we seen just recently?" Mohawk grumbles impatiently but he listens and, unfortunately, turns around and stares daggers at me.

"…Yeah," he says, moving closer. "Yeah. He does seem a little familiar, now that you mention it. Seems a bit 'little' to be attending Beacon, don't you think?"

"Heh, that's funny," giggles the other guy. "Cause his name is Liddel and it sounds like…"

His three 'friends' glare at him. I can almost hear a verbal 'Shut the hell up' emit mentally from all of them. The guy looks pensive, biting his lip and almost shivering from all the negative attention suddenly heaped onto. He points at me, almost shouting his next words.

"Cardin! Wasn't this guy made leader just like you?"

"Yes. Yes he was," Cardin says, his voice a low growl. Setting his sight back on me, he leans laxly against the wagon. "So, Liddel-boy, what the hell are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I…" I swallow. "I-I was just… going back to my room."

"Oh, yeah?" He chuckles. He nods at the wagon. "You've got a lot of books there. Mind if we take a look?"

My stomach lurches. Th-they'd going to see everything I picked up if they do that!

My grasp on the wagon tightens. I-I can't let them see them! No way!

Cardin doesn't give me a choice. Kicking the side of the wagon, it spins away from my reach, the lead cracking away from my hands like a snapping whip.

"Ah!" I cry out, clenching my burning fingers. The trio begin digging through the books, hurling titles carelessly left and right, not even giving them more than a shake and a horrible bemused laugh. "W-wait, no!"

Before I can even think of moving to stop them, Cardin bulky body blocks the way. He folds his arms – Does he think that he won't need them? – and tuts at me.

"Don't be a dick, Liddel-boy," he scolds. "It's called sharing. The guys and I are only looking to have a little fun. We know how to enjoy books." My body starts to shake. Satisfied, Cardin addresses his group. "What've we got, boys?"

"Nothing I'd want to caught dead with," the comb over one scoffs. He holds up one of my comics. "Blue Vs. Red?"

"The Firelight of Pyre?" One holds up a fantasy title.

"Datalink Alpha?" Another holds up a Sci-Fi book.

"What the shit," the mohawk growls, appearing as though he's about to retch. "Someone's not losing their virginity any time soon. Goddamn nerd."

A knife stabs me right in the lungs. I can't breathe.

"He's really not," comb-over laughs. "Check this out." He lifts up a silky cream book and my heart stops dead.

"Sky, is that…" The other guy's words drift off.

"Oh, you've got to kidding me," spits mohawk. "Cardin, you will not believe the shit he's reading."

Sky chucks the book over. Cardin snatches it out of the air without the need to turn his head. He takes one look at the title and his face scrunches up in utter contempt.

"Imperfect Perjury?" He chokes, glaring at me as though I'm scum. "Are you trying to turn into a girl? "You are such a freak."

I'm shaking. Damn it, I'm shaking. Stop it. I straighten my posture, gazing down at the floor sightless. Don't let them see. I can't let them see. Hide it. Don't let them see you.

"Dove, get the window open," Cardin commands. "The badass who breaks the most expensive crap gets fifty lien from the other guys."

The window screeches open. I don't want to hear but my ears refuse to deafen themselves. I breathe fresh air through my nose to cool my blood red face.

"Oh, that money's good as mine," mohawk boasts. "Say goodbye to that street lamp!" He grunts, tossing one of the books through the air no doubt, but the sound that comes back is not a crash, but a splash.

He must've hit the pond. The other three burst into laughter.

"Want a redo, Russel?" Sky gasps for air.

"Oh, piss off, all of you," Russel grumbles. "The light was in my eyes."

"If by light you mean shade, then yeah buddy. It was totally in your eyes," he smirks. Footsteps click as he moves himself around. "Watch and learn."

Another grunt but this time, the crashing of glass comes through. Sky celebrates with a deliberately obnoxious woot.

"Woo! That's a hit!" He cheers.

"…Your book was bigger. You lucked out," Russel huffs.

"Spoken by someone who didn't hit the lamp," snarks Sky.

"Oh, you wanna start? Okay. Okay! I'll grab something heavier then!" He shouts. Boots stomp around the wagon. Nosy bumps bang against the interior as the grumpy green guy impatiently chucks them around, one of them noticeably cracking the floor.

Then, the noises suddenly stop, but Russel doesn't come out from the wagon.

"…What the fuck is this?"

What is he talking about? What else did he find that could be worse than teenage romance novels? I peer my head up from its curled-up position and the answer almost strikes me in the face. It skids to a stop behind me.

It's a book about life on Menagerie. A Faunus book.

Russel is apoplectic.

"Are you shitting me?! What are you doing with this crap in your wagon? You have a sick fetish for these animals or something? Do you hate your own race? That's it, isn't it?! You're anti-human! I bet you're one of those scumbags that support the White Fang, aren't you? Aren't you?!"

S-support a terrorist organization? I-is he even thinking straight?!

"N-no!" I shake my hands in denial. "I-I don't-"

No answer I can give would be enough to calm his rage. He storms violently towards me, furiously kicking the wagon out of his way, steam seeping from his maw.

"You son of a bitch!" He raises an arm. "I'm going to beat you until you'll piss blood!"

I pitifully attempt to shield my face with my arms, Russel's encroaching assault enough to cause me to shrink away in fear, awaiting a painful blow and subsequent brutal beating afterwards.

That beating never comes. I open my eyes to find Sky, hands grasped around Russel's wrists, fighting to drag him away from me.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Russel! Russel!" He shouts amidst his friend's volatile threats. "Cool it, he's not worth it. He'll probably start crying after the first punch, anyway."

Russel's breathing heavily, glaring enough daggers into eyes to potentially skewer them. His gritted teeth slowly soften, his chest slowing back to a normal pace.

The same can't be said for me, the act of running away and abandoning my collection becoming more and more appealing than losing my research books. A lost cause that I simply can't bare to let go of.

Sky releases Russel. Instead of immediately pouncing rabidly at me, he instead vouches to snatch another of my Faunus books and charge at the window.

"This." He indicates to the book. "This crap needs to go."

He throws it, powerfully. The piercing sound of wood breaking contacts my ears. I feel myself quaking. If not the bench, it would've been me.

"Wow. Y-you broke the bench, man," Cardin's crony awes. "Cardin! Hey, Cardin. When's it my go?"

"Just grab a book from the wagon and start throwing," Cardin says simply.

"Uh, alright. Cool!" He replies, walking over to my wagon. "I'll take… This one."

He takes out…

No.

It's a Remnant Legends and Myths book!

No! They are not taking that from me!

 _They will not take them from me!_

" _ **Get your hands off that!**_ " I roar, my voice booming across the corridor, through the dormitories, enough to reach the main school building itself. The crony drops the book back into the wagon like he was holding a live bomb in his hands, stepping away from the rest of the books. The other three look at me warily.

…Where my mind quickly catches up and understands fully what the hell I just did.

Why did I do that? Why did I say that? Did I honestly think that would make the situation better? Of course not, that's only made everything worse! Why didn't I keep my stupid mouth shut?! Why couldn't I just stand there and take it?! Stupid! Absolutely stupid!

 _"_ I-I…"

"Now, why the hell did you have to go and yell that?" Cardin growls. The wagon rattles as he lifts away his foot.

"I-I'm-"

"We were just screwing around, having a little fun and then you have to go and do that?" He goes on, approaching me, standing, barring over me. "That's messed up, Liddell-boy."

"I didn't mean t-"

"Apologize."

My chest hitches at his degrading command.

"H-huh?"

"Say you're sorry. You ruined my friends' fun. Say sorry to them," he says. Seriously. "Say it."

"I-I-I'm sorry," I say, bowing my head.

"Hm. No, not feeling it. Say it again," he tells me.

"I-I'm sorry," I repeat, harder.

He shakes his head.

"Nope. Say it louder," he demands.

"I'm sorry!" I shout.

"Louder," he snarls.

"I'm sorry!" I shout.

"Say you're sorry!"

" _I'm sorry!"_ I scream.

My lungs dry up. I feel exactly as they feel: Pathetic, worthless, pitiable.

I hate this. I've always hated this.

"No, you're not," he retorts coldly. "If you were sorry, you would've known better than to ever come to this academy." He backs me up against the wall, pushing me into a uncomfortable position, unable to run away anymore.

"I'm going to make something clear to you that I made clear to the last combat school I attended," he whispers deathly. "I run things here. I decide who stays and who leaves and right now, Liddel-boy, I'm thinking that shit-stains like you don't deserve to be here. I don't what the hell you did to get your leadership position, but I know it's all crap. You're no leader, you're no Huntsman, and you're no fighter. You're nothing."

" _Get the hell out of my Academy. Now."_

My body doesn't respond to my commands. I can only stand here, overridden with terror, taking his abuse with no comeback. I say nothing. I do nothing. Everything is quivering.

Cardin peers over his shoulder.

"We're heading out," he tells his group firmly.

"Oh, what?!" Yelps the crony. "I didn't even get to take my turn yet."

Sky smiles and pats him on the back "Well, you should've been quicker on the uptake. Time flies when you're hanging out with our group, Bronzewing," he says glibly. All three of them turn the other way, Russel gazing down at me and scowling as he does so.

Cardin finally moves away from me and everything falls in on itself. My chest aches, my heartbeat won't stop beating. I've never experienced a heart attack before, but this feels eerily close.

No more. I can take this anymore.

A cough causes me to lift up my heavy head. Cardin's there, foot underneath the back end of the wagon. My eyes widen.

Please don't do it.

He smirks.

"Heh."

In a single movement, the wagon is thrown straight up into the air and I scream. I force my head down, hands clamped on my head. Stop it. Please don't hurt me. I don't want any of this, please!

Heart won't stop. Beating too fast. Make it stop. Make it stop!

The noise quietens. Timidly, I remove the hands away from my head, raising myself to check that it's all over.

The back-half had smashed against the top of the ceiling: dust bursting from the broken panels, metal shatters and flies everywhere, books soaring across the other end of the hall, pages ripped away by pure momentum, littering the halls with torn tatters and, in the middle of it all, is a red wagon – Utterly decimated to the point where the only thing left is one wheel and half a box.

I can hear them laughing from further down the hall.

"Woah! Man!" Cheers Russel. "Cardin, you sneaky douchebag!"

"And that, boys, is how you win a hundred and fifty lien! Pay up, assholes!" Cardin proclaims proudly. I wait until their voice vanish completely until I move, afraid that if I move again that they would know and return for round two.

Silence. They're gone. I'm all alone now, with this mess.

I'm choking on my own whimpering, staring at the mangled books, the selection I chose, tossed around like garbage. Some of these were in mint condition this morning. Now, they're rubbish, trash, nothing.

I should've ran when I had the chance.

A muffled buzz vibrates from my trousers. My Scroll. I take it out with boneless fingers, fighting to keep them still enough to open my screen.

It's a text – From Jaune.

 _'Hey, Eren. Weiss is starting to get a little grumpy. Where are you at?"_

I… I should reply. If I leave it until later, he'll start to worry. I make a start on my reply, keeping myself still enough to avoid mistakes.

'I…'

I was assaulted.

I lost most of my books.

I'm so scared.

I…

I can't.

'I got lost. Took a wrong turn. Heading back to dorm. Be there soon.'

I pick myself up. One by one, I huddle the remaining books together and place them in what survived of the wagon. The rest is outside. I'll need to find them all before I head away to lunch.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, this certainly felt inevitable. It's not like anything I described about Eren's looks or personality screams quintessential bullying bait, does it?

In some ways, I'm not entirely happy about beginning this arc. With Team CRDL being canonical assholes and Eren being the way he is, there's no way they wouldn't start picking on him. The decision to start this arc was pretty much out of my hands. Bit concerning, having a portion of your story taken out of your hands and, with how poorly received the Jaunedice was on the show, I'm not exactly jumping for joy at the idea of writing a bullying story.

Still, I'm choosing to look on the bright side on this arc. Eren hasn't really encountered any social conflict so far, the stuff that he's naturally really bad at dealing with, and while sort of typical, Cardin bullying him does give me an opportunity to actually make him deal with that kind of ordeal. Grimm aren't exactly known for hurling verbal abuse at human beings, after all.

Anyway, thank you very much for reading. What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Be sure to let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 – Gun Shy**

I dive, my back bumping haphazardly against the sparring arena floor. The halberd tip recoils off the ground with a sharp clang.

I stumble back onto my rickety feet. My opponent casually twirls his weapon's grip in his hands like a performing baton twirler.

His eyes glint.

He lunges forward. With a cry, my feet forcefully throw me out of the way. He twists, turning the course of his momentum and swiping the body of the staff towards my ribs. My knees buckle forcefully, avoiding the attack within a hair's length. He chuckles mirthfully. My back barely straightens itself fast enough to evade the halberd blade slashing upwards, skidding my nose.

I stagger away, raising Warbreaker a smidge higher. Another successive attack desperately dodged.

My chest pumps raggedly. My tongue's drowning in tasteless saliva. My brain's struggling to recall how long I've been fighting for. An alert eye glances at the board.

Only a minute left and neither of us have lost aura. I only need to survive that long and this nightmare will be over.

Sky Lark, my opponent, rests coolly against his weapon, smiling self-assured at his eventual victory. He claps condescendingly at me.

"Not bad. You're a nimble one, Liddell-boy. All those hours on the cheerleading squad is really starting to pay off," Sky whistles. "But, uh, I don't think they find this nearly as entertaining as I do."

He points upward, towards our classmates sitting in the spectator section. A plethora of boos rains down upon me. Roughly a quarter of the class is cupping their hands around the mouths and droning their displeasure: several of them are screaming at me to fight back or simply lose, so long as the fight ends, others cradle their stomachs and laugh at my performance while the less vocal merely flick through their Scrolls disinterestedly.

"It's a sparring class!" One yells at me. My shoulders stiffen. "You're supposed to fight, so fight already!"

"I came here to fight the best, not watch these two idiots screw up for three minutes! This is ridiculous!" Another rants. My lungs gasp for air.

"Stand still, damn it! Sky, knock his ass out already! I'm not losing my turn!" Russel shouts.

I'm jittering. I'm trembling, and I can't stop it. It's like a helicopter light's beaming on me, sirens screaming deeply into my eardrums, deafening me. I-I'm not- I can't-

Please, stop it!

"Made you look!"

A weight smashes my skull, knocking me to the floor. My senses blur, my mind unable to register the scorching agony before a metal boot strikes me in the forehead.

A breath tears out. Warbreaker falls from my grasp as slides away from me. My head feels like it's been run through three brick walls unprotected. My mind muddles to remember where on the field I am anymore. I blink rapidly but my vision refuses to clear. The pain runs deep into my veins.

Leave it. Calm down. Focus.

Aura. Let your Aura do its job. Breathe.

Breathe…

My ears start to unclog. A muted sound registers with my drums. I can feel the pain sweeping away. I think I'm starting to comprehend the obnoxiously upbeat noise…

"Down goes Liddell! Down goes Liddell! Ladies and gentlemen, I think that's all she wrote. The challenger's not going to reach the count of ten. I think the champion's going to retain for yet another decisive victory!"

Sky, doing a horrible boxing commentator impression and parading himself around the arena. It's as though he believes he just won a world championship.

Grunting from the pain, I fight to stand back up.

"Oh? What's this, ladies and gentlemen?" Sky announces, stepping up to my prone body. "I think he's about to stand up! But, does he have the power to keep fighting? Will he reach the count of ten?! Ah-one! Ah-two! Ah-three! Ah-four!"

Part of me wants to stay down, as if that'll end the match and instantly remove the bile building around my swelling lungs.

But, I know for a fact that's not how this works. As an encumbering air of dread begins to rise from Sky's encroaching presence, I hesitantly pick myself off the floor, lest he takes his boot and stomps on me until I can't.

"And, he's up!" He shouts, overexcitedly. "Our challenger is walking, ladies and gentlemen! He may be stacked smaller than a toddler wearing stilettos but man, does he know how to put one foot in front of the other! What a trooper!"

My shoulders brace together. I can hear, up in the stands, the sounds of the rest of his team laughing besides themselves at us. At me.

Why the hell did I stand up? It's no better here than it was on the floor…

"Come on, Eren!"

My head snaps towards the opposite part of the stands. Leaning waist deep, practically falling, over the guard rail is Ruby, flanked by both Jaune and Yang at her side, all of them cheering me on loudly.

"Kick his stupid butt!" She shouts.

"Yeah! Go to town!" Yang chimes in, fist hammering on the rail. "Break his teeth! Twist his ankle! Boot him in the gut! Choke him out! Snap his damn jaw!"

"…Better yet, don't do any of that!" Jaune shouts belatedly. "Ju-just win! Win normally!" Yang gives him a look that causes him to raise his arms in defence. "You're a scary woman. That's all I'm saying."

A bashful blush blooms on my cheeks. This is the kind of stuff Mum and Louise would do during karaoke night.

The three of them continue egging me on, cheering unabashedly like I'm a high-profile wrestling star. Oh god. These guys don't know a thing about moderation, do they? I'm a second away from burrowing my head in my hoodie and hibernate for the semester.

Seriously. These guys…

"Aww, that's cute. Your fellow cheerleaders are rooting for you!" Sky coos belittlingly. "Always had Arc pegged as the cross-dressing type. He just looks like the kind of guy who only wears pants because the dress code told him to."

My attention snaps to him, a burning heat begins to well up in my gut. I board it in, blocking it from moving any further, letting out a small gust of air from my nose.

"But, I have to say, that blonde girl…" He hushes his voice, leaning in closely with his eyelids drooping leeringly.

"She has one hell of a body, am I right?"

… _Excuse you?_

He grins. "I mean, damn. I bet she was popular with the guys back at combat school. Jumped between her fair share of boyfriends no doubt. Hell, I wouldn't mind getting her alone for a couple of nights, if you know what I mean?"

The heat burns through the boards, flaring up my insides, burning up through my throat.

Sky hums to himself in feign thought, shrugging his shoulders. "On second thought - Nah. She's too easy for my tastes. I prefer my girls to put up some challenge. Much more fun that way."

 _She's more challenge than you could ever handle, arsehole._

"You're scowling pretty hard there, dude. You're going bright red," he smiles. I blink. Reaching up, my fingers find the curvature of lips sullen and my skin piping red hot. I'm not only scowling, I'm downright glowering.

"Are you getting upset?" He niggles gleefully. "Are you annoyed? Getting a little uppity? Am I bothering you? Am I making you feel angry? Popping a few veins up in your noggin?" He gleams at me.

"Are you jealous?"

…Wh-what?!

"Hey, I'm not gonna blame you. She has every box ticked as far as assets go: Long legs, full lips, those curves," he whistles.

Fire ignites on my cheeks, clashing against the growing bonfire set off in my gut. As they grow, I'm finding it harder and harder to differentiate which frazzling feeling is stronger between the two. It's painful, worse than the kick my skull endured. My eyes struggle to focus.

"Say, be honest with me, have you peeked at her lovely, large-"

"No, I haven't!" I snap. My saliva boils, my tongue unable to hold back the bile burning my tonsils but the hell should I care? Nobody talks about Yang like that! _Nobody!_

Sky throws up a hand, calmly walking around me.

"Woah, boy! Calm yourself! You're getting all wound up, you should sit down before you hurt yourself. Go for a walk. Drink some tranquillizers or something," he says. "I didn't mean to offend you, man. Just cool down. I get it. She's not your taste."

He smirks.

"What about the other blonde? He tickle your fancy?"

My flush intensifies, the heat withering away my cheeks.

"You're getting red again. That's no good. Get any redder and your head will explode," he pesters. "Look, don't push yourself. Your muscles will go all stiff like that. Luckily for you, I hang out with Russel. I know a technique that'll loosen those noodle arms of yours."

Sky walks towards Warbreaker, picking it off the floor – Where I momentarily forgotten it. He circles around, returning it to me via a forcefully push into the arms.

Then, he turns the barrel, towards his heart.

"Shoot me."

My throat freezes.

"Go on," he whispers. "Shoot me. Right here. It's easy. Just push down on the trigger and, bang! My Aura will take the hit." He smiles eerily. "Or maybe it won't."

P-press the… T-t-trig-

What the hell am I doing? Just press it already! He's full on Aura. I know it, he knows it, everyone in the class knows it, thanks to the board. I have a full clip. Just shoot already!

He persists. "Come on, already. I'm doing you a deal here. Limited time offer. Shoot one bullet, get a hit free. Only available for three seconds." He tightens his grip. "Going once."

Shoot him! He almost gave me a concussion! He… He made all those c-comments about Yang! He doesn't think we're going to do it, so prove him wrong!

What if he's bluffing? What if his Aura won't protect him? Wh-what if it breaks through?

"Going twice! You're losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here, Liddell."

I-I can't do it. He's too sure. Too confident that he can take it. Th-this won't end well. Nothing good will come from shooting him.

Augh! Stop that! Just shut up! Stop thinking!

Fire! Fire, fire, fire! Shoot him!

 _Make him and his entire team feel it!  
_  
"Think about it, Liddell. If you shoot me…"

He stares me dead in the eyes.

"You can be Beacon Academy's first serial killer."

 _Put the damn gun down!_

A shriek comes squeaking from my mouth. I release my grasp on Warbreaker, legs fumbling over one another as I botch my attempt at fleeing from the weapon, collapsing to the ground a shrivelling mess.

A loud horn blares through the sparring hall. The match is over.

"Oh! So sorry! I'm afraid our offer has timed out. Better luck next time," Sky chuckles. Taking a few unimpressed glances at Warbreaker, he tosses it back to me, turning around and doing his best to look dutiful as Miss Goodwitch storms onto the field.

"Both of you. In front. Now," she commands. With absolutely no craps left on his person, Sky casually does as he's instructed.

I look up at the screen.

Miss Goodwitch explained the rules at the very beginning. Sparring matches take place here, in the practice arena, under a time limit that differs depending on the type of match taking place: three minutes for duels, five for pairings, and a whooping ten minutes for team versus team fights. Victory is achieved either through knocking your opponent's Aura under twenty percent capacity –otherwise known as the critical zone- or by having more Aura, collectively in multi-person battles, than your opponent(s) by timeout.

Timer's empty. Sky's Aura is completely full. Mine lands at roughly sixty-five percent.

I lost. To the surprise of no one.

I stumble back onto my feet, congregating around Goodwitch as she asked.

"Do either of you wish to explain what that last minute was all about?" She demands. "Because from I was standing, all I saw was a complete farce!"

Sky shrugs. "Just a bit of friendly guy banter, Miss. That's all. Liddell here just overreacted a little at a joke of mine. Isn't that right, Liddell?"

I stay silent. Goodwitch glares at him, hands firmly behind her back.

"Is it now? Well, Mister Lark, if you enjoy fooling around and acting like a child on the battlefield so much, perhaps that's a tactic you'd be willing to try on your first mission. Say, on a Grimm?" She says.

Sky visibly shudders. Imagining him trying to insult and pander against a fully healthy Nevermore brings a slight smile to my face.

"Don't do that again, Mister Lark," Goodwitch says.

"Y-yes, Miss," Sky replies, nodding his head repeatedly.

"As for you, Mister Liddell," she starts, turning to me. "I feel the need to reiterate that the purpose behind sparring is to tamper your fighting ability against opponents with different skills from yours… through actually sparring with them."

I bow my head.

"S-sorry, Miss…" I say.

"Wherever this reluctance comes from, it will only prove to be a hindrance on the battlefield. If you remain unwilling to fight by your first mission next semester, then I cannot deem you suitable for active duty. Is that understood?"

My muscles tense but I nod in acceptance.

"Yes, Miss…"

Goodwitch hums in acceptance.

Whipping out her crop, she points it in the direction of the locker-room. "Now, both of you go clean up and get changed. I need to have a word with the rest of the class about… audience participation." She grumbles her last words out, bending the tip of her crop back and forth. I let out a small gulp. I've never been gladder not to be up than right now.

A shoulder barges against mine.

"You know, I think I figured out how you and Xiao Long became friends," he smirks. "You're just as easy as she is."

 _Bastard._

Fumes gas from my nostrils as Sky simply saunters away, whistling a merry little tune to himself as if his life is golden and he is made of platinum.

I should've fired.

I really, really should've fired…

* * *

My locker makes a hollow clunking sound as I shove my clutter inside. I work at an almost rabidly quick pace. A veil of fatigue is present but, I'm still stricken with adrenaline, rushing to clamber all my equipment together and leave as soon as possible.

I'm soaking in sweat. I was supposed to go to the men's changing room, thankfully segregated from the women via Scroll authentication scanners because Beacon Academy has some sense of decency, and take a shower but, as long as Sky's still around, I don't dare give him the opportunity.

I'm still in my normal clothes. I won't even grant him that chance either. He'll take it, I know he will.

I looked like such an arse out there. A tool. A complete, total, bin-bag disposed tool. After that last minute, he barely even tried. He just made a show out of it, a joke. He made me his goddamn punchline, and now the entire class sees me as a stupid, boring arsehole!

I slam the locker shut, huffing out uneven breaths as my shoulders rise and fall.

He wasn't serious, when he pushed the barrel towards his chest. He only said that just to get under my skin, that's all. It doesn't mean anything. That's not who I am.

I shouldn't have even reacted. That was a mistake. That's all they want. That's all they ever want: A reaction. If you don't give it to them: They'll get bored, piss off somewhere else and just… leave me in peace.

I rasp a sigh, resting my head against the door.

That wasn't me in there, that was the anger thinking. I don't want to hurt anyone.

That wasn't me. It wasn't…

I let out another sigh, running a hand through my frazzled hair. That couldn't have gotten any worse if it tried.

"Excuse me?"

My breath cuts. I lurch. The locker makes a metallic booming noise as I spin around into it. Pressing myself up against it, like a cornered rodent, I gaze up to see…

A girl. A tall red-haired girl.

Not Sky. Or Cardin, or Russel.

I just dove away from her, like some sort of demented psychiatrically patient. Am I trying to my best to make everything think I'm a twit today? I'd best apologize, right now.

"I-I'm so-"

"I'm sorry!" she… apologizes? "I didn't mean to startle you like that. I should've given myself away more."

Buh… Whah?

"N-no, no! Y-you shouldn't be sorry!" I say frantically. "I-I shouldn't have reacted like that. Th-that was so, so rude of me. That was completely my fault."

She shakes her head. "You're being far too harsh on yourself. You didn't know I was c-"

"O-oh, no! I-it's fine, hon-" I pause. Did I just interrupt her? "O-oh god, I'm so sor-"

"Truly, I'm sorry-" She pauses. "Oh! Now I just interrupted you. I'm s-"

"I-it's fine! No. Wait. Crap. I-"

"So-"

"Sorry!"

The pair of us go quiet. I stand statically, holding out my arms like a mime struggling to perfect the box technique, refusing to connect her eyes with mine as I bumble around in my fluster.

My posture relaxes. I pull my wriggling arms back, rubbing at my neck.

"Sor… U-um," I start, cutting myself off before it devolved any further. Neither of us wanted to do that awkward dance again.

She raises up a hand, smiling comfortingly.

"Apology accepted," she says calmly. I blink, but I quickly nod and return the smile.

"Um, yeah. Apology accepted too," I reply. Of course, I never thought that she was at fault in the situation but… Eh. Never mind. Doesn't matter.

I really need to stop being so jumpy, though. At this rate, I won't need anyone to make me look like a fool. I'll be a country sized village idiot in no time.

The girl giggles lightly, walking forward and offering her hand. "We haven't been introduced. My name's Pyrrha."

Pyrrha? Wait…

"A-ah! Y-yes. I remember you," I say.

Her hand falls back slightly, eyebrow raising slightly. "You… do?"

I nod, "Y-you're Ruby's partner."

"Oh!" She exclaims, face brightening. "Yes. Yes, I am. You're her friend that she joined the Academy with, aren't you?"

"A-ah, yes," I affirm, noticing that her hand is still waiting for a shake. "Oh, u-um, sor-"

Stop it. Bad Eren.

I take her hand, shaking it gently. "I-I'm Eren. It's, uh, i-it's nice to meet you. I, um…" My forehead furls. Should I add anything else to that? I feel like I should. "I-I saw your fight. You were, um, very good. I've never seen anyone strike so fast."

She was one of the competitors from the fight right before mine, and it went almost exactly the opposite way mine did.

It was her against this lean student wielding an augmented quarterstaff. What did it do, exactly? No idea. Pyrrha never gave him the chance to use it. Her swings came down starkly yet cleanly. Not a single one's position lacked purpose in their placing. Each of Pyrrha's strikes tossed his defence around, wearing him down blow by blow until it crumbled into nothing. Poor guy was floundered. Several lightning fast slashes to the sternum later and the match was over.

Eleven seconds – The fastest knockout of the day so far. It was the tidiest mauling I've ever seen.

Her hair appears to still have some damp water droplets dripping from her ponytail. She must've only finished showering by the time my fight finished.

"Thank you but, it's nothing compared to some of our other classmates. My abilities aren't quite as impressive as them. It's honestly quite amazing to see so many fighters here who can shatter entire walls or have such pin point control over their Aura," she says.

I'm… not sure if she's putting herself down or if she was fighting an entirely different match from what I was watching.

She asks, "How did your match go? I never had the chance to see you fight."

"It, uh…" I swallow. "I-it happened."

"It… happened?" She parrots.

I hum a reply, "Y-yeah." Very slowly, I might add. I felt like I was stuck dodging halberd swipes forever. Weirdest taste of limbo I'll ever have.

"So, how did you do? Did you win?" She quizzes. My eyes wander to the school-bag right at my feet.

"Nn… N-not exactly," I admit. My mind churns somewhat on how much I should tell her. Whatever amount's enough to not raise any more questions than I'd like.

"I, um… I-I lost. Beat me on a timeout," I answer meekly. "D-didn't dodge enough, I'm afraid."

"Oh. That's a shame. Maybe you'll have better luck next time?" She says hopefully. I hum back a reply. I'm not so sure that'll be the case. I have to throw my die first before I can let luck decide, but… it's a lot harder in practice.

Sh-shooting someone I mean, not… yeah.

"You're a gun specialist, aren't you? You fight at long-range?" She enquires. My head tilts up. That's… not a question I expected but, I'll roll with it.

"Uh, yeah. I-I have a bayonet attachment on it but, I prefer not to rely on it too often," I say.

"Well then, it's natural that you didn't win. You weren't trained to accel in one on one duels," she nods, taking a stance oddly akin to what Miss Goodwitch takes when she's explaining something. "Fighters like you are typically team-players. You're better suited to covering teammates and working on larger terrains with more room. Wide open spaces are more ideal. You were fighting with a huge disadvantage on your side."

She smiles, "I don't think you should be ashamed at your loss. If anything, surviving the full three minutes is quite the accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself."

That's… incredibly nice of her to say but, I shouldn't be.

I seriously, shouldn't be. What happened in there was humiliating.

Still, I repay the smile.

"Th-that's very nice of you to say but, i-it wasn't anything special, honest."

Just let her believe it. It's better than talking about what happened.

Pyrrha shakes her head, "I wouldn't be so certain. That could very well be a sign of potential. There have been some notable long-ranged combatants in the professional fighting circuit across the Kingdoms who managed to make a successful tradition from the team divisions and became very successful in the singles tournaments due to how they adapted their fighting styles." She rests a hand on her hips.

"Maybe you could be just as successful?" She suggests hopefully.

I tug at my hood, "I… don't know about that. I-I still haven't decided on what Weapon class to take." And the deadline's two weeks today. I'll need to make my mind up soon but, I haven't fully considered all my options. About what would and wouldn't work with my style.

"I wouldn't worry. We still haven't even attended all my new classes for this semester yet. You still have time to decide," she says cheerfully.

"Mm. I suppose that's true."

Doesn't stop me from worrying about it, though. Then again, when has it ever?

"U-um, thank you for the advice," I say politely. "R-Ruby did say that you were a really nice person."

"She's mentioned me to you already?" She raises an eyebrow. "How funny. She and Yang have been telling me all about you, too. They've been very insistent that I meet you."

"Th-they have?" I blink. Ruby and Yang have been talking about me?

Oh god. Ruby and Yang have been talking about me.

"What… have they been telling you, exactly?" I ask, eyelids lowering cautiously.

"Oh, don't worry. They haven't been saying anything horrible about you," she says.

Well, that's good.

"Just that you're shy, awkward, a worrywart and may suffer from an acute neurosis."

That's very much less so.

"They thought that those traits would've caused some misunderstandings so, they thought it best to tell me beforehand," she says. "I believe Yang's words were, 'Not everybody's going to look and think, Oh! Look at that poor helpless shy boy instead of: Ew! Creep! Get away from me!"

"Of course, she'd say that…" I grumble to myself, body sagging.

Since when did I hire a P.R team to help with my social life? Poor helpless shy boy? I'm not that socially inept, am I?

…I have good friends.

Speaking of friends, Jaune still hasn't fought yet. He said at the very start of the class that he would volunteer and fight but, we're only twenty minutes away from the end of class and he still hasn't gone in.

My eyes dart around the surrounding area, scanning around for a tuff of blonde hair.

"Is something wrong?" Pyrrha prompts, her smile disappearing in concern.

"N-no. Nothing's wrong, exactly," I reply anxiously. "I'm just looking for-"

My head snaps at the faraway jostle of metallic armour. Its steps are heavy, weighty, like a tank with walker legs attached. I wouldn't be surprised if its boots cracked the flooring from how loud it's clanking.

That can't be Jaune. His armour consists of only a breast-plate and several ligaments on his elbows and knees. It's not that hefty.

The booming sound draws nearer. Further down the locker-room, coming out from the other side of the pillar, is a towering figure wearing a full-set of hardened steel armour bearing a large bird insignia on the front of the breast-plate.

He looks my way, face falling upon recognising me.

Cardin.

Oh god, no.

As if on reflex, I swing open my locker again and burrow my head into its innards, fingers fiddling about as I pretend as if I'm doing something important.

"E-Eren?!" Pyrrha yelps. "What's the matter? What are you doing?"

I don't reply. I can't reply. He's right there.

"Liddell-boy," he greets, a hint of displeasure apparent in his voice. "You're still here, I see."

Don't lift your head up. Don't turn around. Don't acknowledge that he's there. He doesn't exist. It's just you and the locker.

"Hello to you too," he sniffs. I feel his eyes thankfully peel away from my back, focusing on some else. As if suffering from a vocal cord whiplash, his tone turns decisively laid-back and smooth. "And you must be Pyrrha Nikos. Saw your fight. Eleven seconds. Not bad. Not bad at all. You might actually live up to what everyone says about you."

"Uh, I'm… sorry but, I'm afraid I don't know who you are," Pyrrha replies with a tinge of discomfort.

"You don't know me, huh? That's no good. Hell, that's just screwed up," he sighs melodramatically. A weight falls laxly to the ground. Peeking underneath the door slightly, I spot an endurable-looking onyx mace, cracking the flooring in quarters just from lightly falling on it.

"Well, let me fix that for ya," he says, heaving his mace off the ground. He walks nearer to her, baring over her with his half foot advantage. "The name's Cardin Winchester. Don't worry about remembering it." He sticks his face dangerously close, mere centimetres away from hers and growls.

"When I'm through with you, nobody's going to forget me for a very long time. Your 'invincible' streak is over, Pyrrha Nikos."

My hand clasps on Warbreaker's stock. Both have gone silent, the harsh thrashing of breath the only thing I can hear from behind the locker door.

"If you're so certain of that," Pyrrha starts. A feeling of calm intensity glows from behind the locker door. "Then you'd better bring your best. I'll fight you whenever you want, _Mister Winchester_."

"Heh," Cardin chuckles darkly. His boots gradually move away from Pyrrha's personal space. "Keep those words in mind, Nikos. Shouldn't you be heading back soon? If you stay in here any longer, Goodwitch is going to feel concerned." He spins around, sauntering away with his onyx mace resting on his shoulders. "And I wouldn't want you to miss the chance to eat those words."

With that, Cardin leaves us in peace, off to partake in his match.

I let out a fresh breath. I release Warbreaker, unsure what exactly I would've done with it had I drawn it. I didn't shoot Sky in the fight; how could I shoot Cardin here? If anything, I would've earned myself a first plane ticket out of here and onto a kingdom criminal record or something.

"Well, he was certainly pleasant," sighs Pyrrha. Her heels clink against the floor as she peers over my shoulder. "Do you two know each other, Eren?"

"N-no," I splutter, fumbling everything into place. "W-w-we just, um, we bumped into each other one day. I don't… I don't know him."

My locker closes with a stronger than expected slam.

"W-we should leave," I stammer. Scurrying around, I put on my school bag with my uniform in it, speedily making plans to leave this room as quickly as possible.

"Aren't you going to take a shower? You're looking very sweaty there," Pyrrha asks. I shake my head vividly.

"I-it's fine. I can, u-um, I can take a shower in m-my dorm." Which had thankfully been fixed last morning. Shifting myself closer to the door, I power-walk away. "L-let's go."

I don't want to stick around here any longer.

* * *

By the time Pyrrha and I finally return to the sparring arena, Cardin and his opponent were already in the arena. Cardin's opponent, a lean looking guy wearing bronze pauldrons connecting down to these gigantic detachable looking metal gauntlets, stares menacingly at Cardin who's currently leaning on the handle of his faced down onyx mace.

I stand at the rails, only a pace away from the stairs. Pyrrha stands next to me, her face lacking a smile and her eyes firmly focused on the combatants. Our teams are only a fair set of rows away but neither of us remind the other of that.

Pyrrha wants to see if Cardin can back up his mouth.

I'm hoping that he can't.

Miss Goodwitch stands between the pair of them, Scroll pad tucked under her arms, ready to begin the fight.

"He's aware…" Pyrrha murmurs. I blink at her.

"Aware? S-sorry Pyrrha but, who's aware?" I ask, totally benign.

"Cardin. He's analysing his stance," she answers, nudging my attention to his opponent, standing at the ready. I have no idea what exactly I'm supposed to be looking at.

"Look at his feet. Do you see where he's placing them?"

Honestly, it looks he's just standing with his feet further apart. I see people standing like that all the time on martial arts movies.

I shake my head, she explains further.

"He's slanted slightly. He's placing more weight on his right foot than his left. He's giving away a tell," she nods. "No matter what Cardin does at the start, he'll be the one to throw the first strike." Her eyes narrow. "Cardin knows this. He'll have the advantage."

They can read that much from slight weight distribution? I mean, I've never been one for fighting against human opponents but… damn. I wish I had her eyesight.

"Ready?" Goodwitch announces, raising her arm into the arm. I gaze up, keeping an eye on the board timer.

Pyrrha nods to herself, "Let's see what he does with it then."

"Begin!"

Bronze's fist burst out from his right, a long elastic coil rod springing out from its chamber, flying in an acute angle, a cross streaking towards Cardin's chin.

One.

Smash!

In a single movement, Cardin picks his mace off the ground and, with his left hand, smashes the gauntlet deep down into the ground like he's simply planting a tree.

Two.

Another fist seeks purchase in Cardin's chin. He reels his head. The uppercut skids. Barely that, it practically shaves his chin that's how closely it missed.

Three.

Plucking the coil out of the air, Cardin pulls the missed gauntlet and pulls hard. Bronze comes flying across the ring, straight towards his opponent's primed mace.

Four.

Boom!

The mace empties all the air in Bronze's lungs, the strike is so powerful that the spectators in the stands can feel it.

Five.

Cardin retracts, pulls the mace out from Bronze's gut and lands another powerful clubbing blow on his back. If his Aura wasn't there to protect, Bronze would be paralyzed and put into a coma right now.

Six.

By the full brunt of his face, Cardin snatches Bronze out of the air and with a brutal growl, hurls him wildly into the air.

Seven.

As Bronze's body soars straight in the air, Cardin grabs the coil of the gauntlet buried in the ground and yanks it, pulling him straight back towards him.

Eight.

Cardin readies himself, both hands firmly grasped on the handle of his onyx mace. Bronze falls towards him.

Bang! Mace meets chest as a resounding clash booms throughout the hall. His opponent's body is limp but unfortunately, Cardin isn't finished yet. He pushes him full body weight against Bronze…

Nine.

And drives his carcass straight down into the floor.

Ten.

The match horn blares. The bronze warrior's Aura dip into the critical zone as dust and smoke floods from the impacted flooring.

Heavy boots clunk and crunch against bits and pieces of the broken floor as Cardin walks out from cloud of dust, completely untouched.

Ten seconds. He knocked his opponent out in ten seconds!

"Holy shit!" One of my classmates yells. Everyone up here in the stands begin chattering and muttering to each other. Saying things like 'That guy's a total monster!' and "God, I hope I never get into the ring with him.'

Nobody's going to forget him anytime soon, huh…

The dust clears. The bronze warrior lies crumpled in, Jesus Christ, what looks to be a five-metre-deep crater. I can see his chest heaving up and down so, his breathing is still okay. Just knowing that instils a sense of calm.

I'm trying my very best not to scream here.

My fingers tear into the railing. My heartbeat's choking on the amount of blood pumping right now. He… He did it. He actually did it! He beat Pyrrha's record and mangled his opponent like a lifeless prop.

I think he might even be as strong as Yang.

He looks up, locking eyes with Pyrrha. She stares back, undeterred by his gaze, absolutely refusing to back down from him. He lifts his onyx mace, completely ignoring the destruction he caused behind him, Goodwitch kneeling next to bronze to make sure none of his attacks broke through. It's as if he was trying to send a message to her – Get in the ring with me, and this'll happen to you.

Then he locks eyes with me. I falter, almost reeling away from the railing. His gaze is withering. He doesn't look away. I visibly suck in my chest.

He smiles.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah. So, may have beefed Cardin up a little. Just a tad. Nothing major. Honest.

Though, his current ranking doesn't fully represent his combat ability. He's better than what he was in canon, and one of the physically strongest fighters in the year, but he's not better than Pyrrha. That's stretching my creative liberties a bit too much. He's still a big beefy bastard, though.

But, with this chapter, my first year of writing Calamity Factor comes to a close. Probably should've had something a bit bigger to cap off the year or something but, them's the breaks.

I just want to thank everyone for sticking with the story so far, as slow as I can be with updates. This story was written with the purpose of both providing an entertaining story of decent quality as well as receiving feedback from an audience on what they finding appealing and what they don't. Though I don't believe my story and writing ability to be infallible, I believe that from receiving your opinions both prositive and negative have helped me improve on my writing style and overall writing quality.

Thanks again for reading. As always, if you have any opinions on the story so far, be sure to let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – Dining on the Hot Seat**

The cafeteria air is ripe with the smells of freshly made fine cuisine and the sounds of merry chattering. Beacon students from all years are currently digging into their meals with gusto, snatching greats mound of food of various varieties and plopping them onto their plates as though they're homeless suffering from starvation. Side-effects of Aura, I remember. They need to keep their energy up.

I should be doing the same but, I'm honestly not feeling it. All I've been doing for the last ten minutes is swirling my fork around my macaroni hypnotically, taking random bites whenever the urge occurs.

I take another. The sweet taste of cheese sauce lingers for a moment then fades. My fork returns to sloshing aimlessly around my plate as my thoughts go wandering again.

To the sparring match. To Cardin.

He knew exactly what he was doing in that fight. While his strikes weren't nearly as neat as Pyrrha or even Yang, they were purposeful, planned. He knew what his opponent's moves were going to be, how to counter them, and the quickest way to bash their body into the ground. He had the entire match pinned, never once doubting that he was going to win.

It shouldn't be bothering me.

I mean, sure, I was accepted of all people but, every single person in this very cafeteria has trained ten longer than I have to be accepted into Beacon. I've seen others perform feats that would be unprecedented back home. Hell, I've seen Yang smash up her fair share of punching machines and Scroll controllers. That stuff is normal for these people - Why is this any different?

My eyes to snap to the sound of tumbling cutlery. At the same faraway table, I see Cardin's opponent, the bronze warrior, grumbling as he leans down to pick up the spoon he dropped yet again.

How many times is that now? Enough that it's concerning. He stood up soon after the match had concluded, he even stoically bowed his head in defeat and walked all the way to the back by himself. Yet, even so, there's something not quite… right with him.

Did Cardin mean to do that too?

I avert my eyes, gazing endlessly at one of the walls. I'm catastrophizing. Cardin couldn't have known how to hurt him that way. Why would he? What's the point? That'd just be so… needless! It's stupid! Injuring one of his classmates to show up Pyrrha?

He'd… have to be a total bastard to do that.

…I let out a withheld sigh, kneading my knuckles tiredly into my cheek. From now on, I'll forfeit every match I'm able. Especially if I'm pitted against him. The further away I am from him and his team, the more likely they'll forget about me and move on.

I take another forkful, crunching down on-

Hold up. Crunching? I don't need to crunch through macaroni, it's way too soft for that. My tongue tentative touches whatever's inside and-

A sickeningly bitter taste dirties my taste buds, tossing and tumbling around my mouth like garbage being grinded up by a half working disposal unit. My throat balks up. Coughing into my hand, I take a swig from my glass of lemonade and let it splash around as if rinsing my mouth with sugary mouth-wash before swallowing.

Impish cackling bellows from across the table. My eyes click aware, finding my lunch plate in the hands of the perpetrator. The guilty girl grins grandly at her green-coated assault.

"And that, Pyrrha, is how you wake up an Eren," laughs Yang.

"Brussels sprouts! Why didn't I think of that?!" Ruby chortles, almost smacking her plate off the edge.

Unlike the other two, Pyrrha is genuinely trying to conceal her childish giggling but I can clearly see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Heh, I'm so, hah hah! I'm sorr- Ahah!" she chokes.

Ruby's head clocks against the table. "His face!" she wheezes. "Did you see his face?! He looked like… Uh, you looked, um…"

Her words slowly fritter away. The other two's laughter stops too, their cheerful chuckling dying quietly, with all three of their faces flattening into a somewhat awkward look. I blink, fidgeting under their comprised gazes.

"Wh-what? What's wrong?" I ask.

"You're not… reacting like you usually do," Ruby says.

I prod a finger at my cheek, feeling the skin completely smooth and unbent by expression: Not a well-meaning smile, a mildly irritated if ineffective glare, or even a chipper grin playing along with their antics. I've done it before. They wouldn't have taken notice if I hadn't.

"We weren't trying to be mean," Pyrrha insists. "You've been lost in thought for the past few minutes. We tried to get your attention but, you weren't responding, and we were starting to get worried. Then Yang came along and-"

I raise up a hand.

"No, it's fine. I'm not bothered at all." I say, offering a small smile. "It was funny, guys. Really. Sorry, I was still kind of stuck in my head for a bit."

An excuse. Not exactly a good or well thought out excuse, but it's an excuse. I know the two of them didn't do it with bad intentions or anything, this isn't exactly a new thing from them I've had to deal with.

I'm just not in the mood to play along today. Not just because of Cardin.

I dig an idle hand into my pocket and slip my Scroll out for a couple of seconds. No reply. It's been fifteen minutes already. He should've texted back by now.

My lunch plate slides in front of me. I glance up to find Yang, leaning against the end of the table, with her brows knitted into a humourless furl.

"Okay. What happened?" She asks. Her tone lacks force, but neither is it soft.

My fingers cling to my glass as a take another sip. My lips smack together as I answer benignly, "Um, I'm not sure. Sorry, what are we talking about?"

"You know what," she folds her arms.

…Yes. Of course. My match. It's a topic that was bound to be brought up eventually. Unlike Pyrrha, both she and Ruby saw everything. Whether CRDL's trying to keep this whole ordeal hush hush from everyone else or not, they're sure making it harder for me to hide it.

Even now, they're finding ways to screw with me.

I take another sip, a small bid for time, musing over what I could possibly say to drop the subject before it begins.

"It… It wasn't anything personal," I say, words tense. "He was just-"

"It wasn't personal? Really? You sure you want to stick with that one?" Yang interrupts instantly. "Because from where we were standing, running around the arena shouting 'Down goes Liddell,' seems pretty personal to me."

"Yeah!" Ruby agrees, shooting up from her stool. "What about when he talking to you? Your face went bright red and not in your usual way. And the time after! With Vivi! He forced her into your arms, pointed her barrel at his chest, and then you… freaked out." Her face tightens up.

Bugger. The freak-out. Stupid Eren, you should've kept it together you idiot.

"That's… really what happened? Is that why you didn't want to talk about it?" Pyrrha asks. My shoulders seize tersely. Was my discomfort really that obvious? The sisters give Pyrrha's words a stern once-over before looking pointedly at me.

Shit. Now they know for certain something's up. Can't even tell one simple lie without it falling apart, can I? They can't know about it. They wouldn't look at me the same if they did. I've dragged them into enough of my problems already.

Yang leans in closer, "What's going on, Eren? What did he say to you?"

My eyes unconsciously flicker to her face.

 _"She has one hell of a body, am I right?"_

They dart away. I immediately grasp my glass, blurring my flaring cheeks as I make up another needed excuse.

"It was nothing important," I tell them.

 _"Are you getting upset?"_

"It was stupid stuff. He wanted to banter and I… wasn't really into it."

 _"Are you annoyed? Getting a little uppity? Am I bothering you? Am I making you feel angry? Popping a few veins up in your noggin?"_

"I shouldn't have even gotten angry."

 _"I know a technique that'll loosen those noodle arms of yours."_

"It was dumb of me."

 _"Shoot me."_

"I wasn't trying to make it a bigger deal than it was."

 _"Think about it, Liddell. If you shoot me…"_

"I…"

 ** _"You can be Beacon Academy's first serial killer."_**

"…Overreacted."

Drink. I need to take another drink.

After another gulp, I lower the glass, "Really, guys. I don't even care about what happened in there. It doesn't bother me in the slightest anymore. I'm over it." I put on a smile. "So, don't worry. I'm fine. Nothing's happening."

The three of them stare at me, undaunted. I can almost feel their combined disbelief in my words raining down on me. They remain silent. I shudder in my seat, the plastic smile melting away like papier-mâché. They don't believe a single word I've said, do they?

I go to take another shot of lemonade but, as I lift up the glass, I find the inside to be completely empty. No more bargaining for time. My face sweats as I push the glass away from me, fervently rubbing my chin.

Distraction. I desperately need a distraction.

I start at a loud booming sound. The cafeteria floor rumblings somewhat as the blast rings through the Academy. It sounded like an explosion! Are we being attacked by terrorists?! Startled, I snap around for the origins of the blast.

Up in the sky, beyond the windows, is a burning beam of fire, lighting up the sky as it soars away from the Academy.

Numerous students from the other tables look up from their meals in a daze.

"What the hell was that?!" A first-year cries out.

"I believe that was one of the school lockers," answers Pyrrha.

It is that, isn't it? Yes, I remember it from one of our first lessons a couple of days ago. Our lockers have a rocket attachment at the bottom of them for quick designated transportation if we required our weapons in Vale. That is one of our lockers!

It looks just as impractical as it did during the lesson. Plus, there's a roof. How do they afford to pay for all those reconstructions every time they fire? Weird.

Par for the course with Remnant.

"It's heading out to Vale. Is someone in trouble?" An agitated Ruby asks.

"Looks like it. Whoever's there should be able to deal with it, though," answers Yang.

I hope so. If they're anywhere as skilled as normal Huntsman-in-training goes, they should be able to take any normal daylight thugs out. It's a good thing they decided to skip lunch when they did.

Hold on. The locker-room? Shouldn't that be where…

Oh, bollocks. I've been forgetting to check!

I rush my Scroll out of my pocket and slide open the screen – No reply. Shit. It's been twenty minutes already. He should've been back by now.

"How's 'I'm fine' doing now?" Yang pries.

"I-it's not me," I cry, holding up my Scroll in self-defence. "It's Jaune. I still haven't heard back from him."

She scoffs lightly, "Vomit boy? Oh, come on. He's fine! Stop worrying. He's probably having trouble with his pants or something. He'll show up in about five minutes with his blazer back-to-front and a shower head in one of his arms. It's what he does."

I hum uncertainly. I'd be lying if I said Jaune wouldn't be that clumsy but, my gut's dealing me that can't simply be the reason.

Jaune's match was the last of the class. After he finally gathered up the courage to compete, he was pitted against the only student left to fight.

Russel Thrush.

It was as one-sided a fight as you could get. Russel laid into Jaune, blow after blow, slash after slash, dash around the arena and hammering into his opponent with a ruthless aggression not even Yang fully displayed. Guy didn't leave Jaune any air left to breathe. I don't think a single second of the match went by without Russel landing a vicious blow into Jaune's Aura.

Despite the onslaught – and the lack of… well, anything resembling a fighting strategy on his part, Jaune lasted roughly a minute thirteen seconds before the horn blared for the K.O.

After the match was over, he sullenly made his way to the locker-room. Haven't seen him since.

Today's Friday so, the combatants for the arena matches set up will be heading in at some point. If he's still there, maybe one of them will find him?

"Where is the rest of your team anyway, Eren?" Ruby asks. I set the Scroll down, resting my head against my palm.

"Well, I don't know where Jaune is but, Blake's probably heading to her usual spot." The library. "And Weiss is chasing after her to try and force her to eat lunch with us." Which she attempted yesterday after Jaune and I failed our attempt the day before. As I begin to wonder how her attempt fared this time, I catch sight of her petite figure storming through the cafeteria door with no Blake in tow.

"I… don't think it went well," I wince.

She stomps towards our table, tossing her bag under my spot, clunking my legs against one another. Ow.

"Unbelievable!" She shouts. "That girl is such a pain! It's like she has no comprehension of what the word 'Team' means!" Without looking, she points a finger at me. "You. Where's Jaune?"

"I, u-um, I-I haven't heard back from him yet," I stammer. I wish she wouldn't yell. She's almost as scary as Yang when she's angry.

She groans exasperatedly, "Does nobody understand the importance of eating lunch together? I feel like I'm the only one who cares about the image of our team. You're all giving me headaches."

"Hey, now you know how everybody else feels," snarks Yang.

Weiss' eyelids narrow, face wrenching as she makes eye contact with Yang, like she's looking at a burst pluke, "Ugh. You again? What are you doing over here? Don't you have your own team to deal with? I thought you said you wouldn't sit over here."

That's… wording it pretty badly. What Yang actually said amounts to 'Bond with your teammates. I'll only get in the way. We'll grab a bigger table once you've settled.' Ruby seems to be doing fine on her end. Her other teammates, forgotten their names I'm ashamed to say, are here sitting at the second half of the table. The girl is quite clearly trying to hide her obvious eavesdropping while the guy's wearing a deadpan expression and isn't even bothering.

Well, at least they're here. Better than mine at least.

"Found a loophole. I'm not sitting here. I'm standing. Big difference, princess," Yang snipes smugly.

Weiss rubs her eyes tiredly and moans, "Argh. I really don't need you today. Why don't you go help out your partner and leave me be?"

The blonde blinks but quickly waves her off, "Did it again? Nah, she's fine. She always falls asleep in the weirdest places. Give her ten minutes, she'll wake up."

"She's drowning in her potato salad."

Wait, she's what?!

Everyone turns to Yang's table. There, we spot a familiar looking girl with a clump of unkempt plum-coloured hair, a school outfit covered in creases and her face buried into a hefty bowl of potato salad, unmoving as two girls are warily trying to prod her to life.

'I think she's dead,' I think one says. Oh dear.

"I'd… better go deal with that," Yang says finally. That's a sound idea. 'Drowned in potato salad' isn't something I think she'd want etched onto her tombstone.

Yang gives Ruby a quick hug, "I'll catch you later, sis."

She then offers a reciprocated wave to Pyrrha, "See ya, Pyrrha!"

And finally, she… points at me with a serious expression, "This isn't over. Count on it."

Didn't think it would be. As she runs off to help her team, I can't help but feel a weight pile on my shoulders. Yang's not the kind of person to not make good on her promises. She's going to figure things out at the way we're going.

I let out a gentle sigh. That's just great…

"Speaking of you," Weiss starts, eying me pointedly. "That wagon I told you to return yesterday? Care to tell me why it's still there?"

Oh. That.

So, uh, I brought the wagon that Cardin pretty much destroyed back to the room afterwards. I picked up as many shattered pieces and shredded pages as I could but, I ended up with almost a third of the portion I left the library with. The remaining books standing have been hidden underneath my bed. Might as well since I don't use it. I thought I could hide the wagon too and just forget about the whole encounter but…

"U-um…" I stutter. My fingers trill nervously against the table. Weiss' shoes taps impatiently.

"It's an eyesore. I want it gone by the time I return to our dorm. Accident or not, you're responsible for it thus, you return it. I don't want to hear any more excuses," she commands.

"Y-yes…" I concede, lowering my head.

They're going to ask questions, the staff. About how it happened, why it happened, how I'm responsible for it. It has to be me. If I pin any of the blame on Cardin it'll, one – Cause the staff to turn this situation into more of a hassle than it already is and two – It'll only piss Cardin off even more. Neither of those results are desirable, especially not with the power Cardin has.

I'll have to bite the bullet in his place…

Actually, there may be an upside to this. Sure, it won't help my Cardin problem, but it gives me an out from talking to my friends problem.

"…I mean, yes. Of course. I'll, um, go take it back right now," I announce, voice noticeably more enthused.

"Wait, what?!" Ruby cries, raising her arms in objection. "Eren, what are you doing? Why are you just letting her boss you around?"

I shake my head. "I'm not letting her boss me around. S-she's right. It's my responsibility and, honestly, I'm not feeling that hungry. I'll, um, I'll grab something at dinner," I answer eagerly, leaping up from my chair and snatching my bag.

"Responsibility? For what? What's this wagon you're talking about?" Adds Pyrrha.

"Weiss can tell you," I reply.

Weiss crooks an eyebrow, "I can?"

Sure, she can. She and Jaune practically gift-wrapped the alibi for me. They obliviously assumed, thanks to Jaune bearing witness to the number of books I took out, that I had accidentally dropped the wagon while climbing the stairs and trashed the damn thing. No more questions asked about Cardin, no more problems. Regarding that, at least.

If she's the one to tell Ruby and Pyrrha, they'll have to buy it. Nobody's more convincing than someone convinced of the truth.

"If… that's fine with you?" I query softly.

She looks at me bewilderingly for a few lengthy seconds, shooting a few sneaky glances at Pyrrha every now and again before ultimately shrugging her shoulders in defeat.

"…Sure. Why not?" She sighs apathetically. "Our team lunch fell apart again so, I don't really care. As long as that mess is out of our room."

Perfect! I sling my bag over my shoulder, snatching my Scroll in the process, and merrily switch places with Weiss, letting her take my seat at the top. Ruby stands to protest once more.

"Wait, what about-"

"I have to go but, um, I'll catch up with you guys later," I wave. "Bye!"

I make a speedy retreat from the cafeteria, power walking past the gathering crowds outside as I let out a proud giggle. Used a problem to escape a problem. No problem!

They're probably to come back around to ask questions later, they definitely know something's going on now, but, for the time being, I can focus on solving other things. Hopefully accidental destruction of property won't be too much of a hassle to deal with.

"Stop."

I halt my step, pride disappearing from my face. I gaze over my shoulder, finding a certain snowy girl looking quite sternly at me.

"Weiss?" I gasp, feeling my temperature rise. "Um, wh-what's is it?"

She's not here to ask about the match, is she? Ruby and Yang I have a little leeway to duck around but I'm stuck in a team with Weiss. And there's no avoiding her when she's determined.

Her eyelids narrow.

"Are you even trying?" She snaps. "I mean, I wasn't expecting you to put up a fight but, this is simply woeful. If you're truly trying to fend me off, I demand that you put more effort into it. I will not be underestimated!"

She… can't be talking about the fight, can she? I never even mentioned the whole scenario to her. Why would she think I'd be trying to fend her off?

Unless she's…

Yes. Of course.

"Oh. You're talking about the position…" I say, energy sucking from my face. Her forehead flares up.

"'Oh?' 'Oh,' is how seriously you're taking this? How seriously you're taking your role as leader? I don't think you fully understand the weight and responsibility that comes with leadership. Are you really paying your team so little mind?!" She rants relentlessly at me.

I lift up a hand to stop her, relenting, "No! No. I do. I understand. I… I think you're right. Leadership is important. W-we're going to be in the field next semester. We're going to be out fighting Grimm then, and every other time we're sent out for missions next year. It's… it's very important that we have a strong leader to guide us and…" My chest feels overwhelmed with oxygen. It's making it difficult to speak.

"That's why I'm not going to fight you."

Confusion floods Weiss' face. She almost reels, unsure if what I said was truly what I said.

"E-excuse me?" She stammers.

I let out a breath, flushing all the oxygen from my lungs.

"I… think you should be the leader. You should've been chosen at initiation, not me. I'm not capable of being a leader."

I've never been leadership material. I'm not the kind of person who should be leader. This isn't self-esteem talking, it's pure unbiased fact. I've never been the one to take the lead when it came to others: I was always a follower in group projects, I played at the back of school bands, I never dished out orders like Mum and Louise always used to.

I'm not a leader, and I never will be. That's just how my life works.

"So, you can take the position in my place. I-I won't stop you."  
Weiss stares at me, lips struggling to utter a coherent sound. Did she expect me not to give up so easily? Probably not. Maybe she held some sort of expectation for me, some hint as to why I was selected and not her. She's not going to find it, I'm afraid.

She should've been chosen. She's assertive: commanding, confident, self-assured, intelligent, and she has her background as an heiress of that company she hails from.

She's a leader. I don't like her, but she's a leader.

Her eyes keep searching for a non-existent answer. I shake my head. It's not here. It's not with me. It's with her.

Finally, she smirks, flipping her ponytail haughtily.

"Hmph. At least you of all people understand. Very well. I graciously accept the position as leader of Team LABS. Though, I'm sure they'll need to change the name once the Headmaster understands that his decision was a mistake," she says proudly. "I will need Blake's acknowledgement as further support. Wouldn't quite be as convincing with only two members vouching for me."

Right. I'm not even sure myself if the Academy allows changes in leadership. That might be an issue but, we can deal with that later.

She clears her throat, taking a commanding tone. "Now, as my first action as leader, I order you to clean out that broken wreck in our room. I won't have my team's dorm look like a hovel. It must display our attentiveness and efficiency for all others to see. My team will be the greatest Beacon Academy has ever seen. I assure you of that."

I was going to do that anyway. Guess she just wanted to make it official, I suppose.

Weiss spins on her heels, motioning to return to the cafeteria when she makes a passing smirk at me.

"You've made a very wise decision today, You. The future success of our team has been ensured thanks to your understanding."

"Y-yeah…" Yes. That's what this is for. To put everyone else in safer hands.

Weiss walks away, barely waving her hand in farewell. I rub my shoulders, easing the tension away. It may be unofficial right now but, I no longer have to deal with the pressure anymore. The reins of leadership are now in their rightful hands. With that, I shouldn't have to fear any longer. It's not my problem. I don't have to do anything.

That's nice, isn't it? That's nice…

* * *

"What the heck did you do to this thing?!" The Teacher's assistant screeches.

Walking into the library, I reluctantly approached a third-year guy whose uniform bore the golden patches belonging to upper-class students granted the duties of assisting in minor academy affairs.  
I didn't expect a warm reaction to a wreckage like this but, I wasn't expecting a total freak out!

I bow my head, rambling out lightning-quick apologies. "I-I-I'm so, so sorry. I, um, I didn't mean-"

"Oh, man. This thing is totalled. What'd you do? Throw it out a window?!" He shrieks.

"N-no! I-it was an accident!" I squeak. He runs a hand through his messy hair, scratching at his scalp.

"Ugh, boy. I thought being a T.A. would've been easy. Just standin' around telling freshmen what to do. Jeez, I really should've paid attention during inauguration," he sighs. Glad I found the most attentive and alert assistant ever. I seriously hope he's not in charge of dishing out punishments. "What happened to the other half of it?"

"I… couldn't find it all. Th-the pieces, uh, the pieces went a-all over, I-I couldn't find th-them all," I explain, averting my gaze from his whenever possible.

"Wow, you messed up. If you had the other pieces, Goodwitch could've just fixed it up and slapped your wrist," he laughs tiredly. It'd sound more humorous if it weren't so haggard. "I don't have a clue what to do with this. You just stay here. I'll just give her a call. She's the head of disciplinary action, anyway. Woman's a complete sadist."

My skin fizzles. He's just exaggerating, right? Miss Goodwitch isn't- She doesn't seriously enjoy…

Oh, god.

The T.A. walks a couple paces away, still within sight and hearing range but, at the very least is trying to portray sound kind of privacy.

"Teach? Yeah, it's me again…"

He hushes his words. I stand idle by the remains of my transport wagon, barely glancing at the other students in the library studying quietly with the occasional acknowledgement of the strange situation happening in the foyer.

It's okay. I told him it was an accident. He'll tell her it was an accident.

I stop tapping my arm, deciding to focus on something else than worry endlessly about the impending verdict, when I catch sight of a girl with black hair.

Blake's at the other side of the room, searching amongst the fiction aisle, adding more to a building pile at her feet. I knew she'd be here – This is no doubt her favourite part of the academy. Knowing doesn't make me feel any less anxious, though. I don't think I've spoken a single word to her after initiation finished.

I still don't know how the hell to deal with her. What to say, what won't piss her off and make her plant those sharp heels of hers straight down my gullet.

Her eyes glint in my direction. I turn away sharply.

Did she notice me? She noticed me, didn't she. I was standing there staring at her like a total creep again. Shit! I need to stop doing that. She's going to think I'm some sort of perverted stalker or something awful like that.  
Is she looking at me? I sneak a glance.

She's looking at me. Quite blatantly too. She definitely noticed. Stupid. Stupid!

"Hey, you," calls the T.A. "What'd you say your name was, again?"

I didn't.

"U-uh, it's E-Eren. Eren Liddell."

"…Alright," he blinks, turning back. I'm assume he thinks he's being quiet again because, I can quite clearly hear the next part. "God, his parents must've thought he'd be their special snowflake or something."

Hey, your name's no John Doe either, jerkass. I glance back at Blake again.

She's moved, disappeared behind the bookshelves. Probably to grab one of the hidden seats amid it all. I let out a sigh of relief.

I need to be more aware of where I look. People get angry when you look at something you don't want them to.

"Seriously? Alright. If you say so." The T.A. snaps his Scroll shut and returns, grimacing irritably at me. "Okay. For some reason, Goodwitch wants to come take a look at the wagon. Says it's important to something or other. In the meantime, she wants you to go do an errand for the Academy. It's supposed to be a punishment or whatever. She wants you to head to one of the academy's local book suppliers in Vale and order a few things. Get your Scroll out."

An errand? For Miss Goodwitch? I do as he asks and take out my Scroll. Opening a notebook app, he gives me the address of the book store along with a list of books with titles that I've never heard before. I note everyone last one of them down and ensure that the given address is correct.

"And The Man of a Thousand Lives. Head to that address, read out the code, place the order and then come back. Got it?"

"Y-yes," I bob.

"Good. Really didn't want to explain all that again anyway. There's an airship that transports students into Vale at the landing pad. Go there, flash your student ID and the pilot'll take you there. You got me?"

I nod. He murmurs what I think was supposed to be a sigh of relief.

"Thank god. I'm gonna go in the corner and hate my classmates for the next hour or so. Later." He waves lazily, leaving me alone to my task.

An errand. Well, it's better than being expelled. I can't believe I seriously thought…

I really need to stop catastrophizing.

I take another look at the list, more accurately the address. Luckily for me, the Scroll came pre-installed with a map function for Kingdoms and popular towns like Patch. I type in the address and it directs me to a local bookstore in the commercial district. I haven't been there before. This shouldn't be too much trouble. Though, I've never been to a city alone before.

I note the name of the store to memory.

Tukson's Book Trade, huh?

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this chapter was originally meant to be longer and include what the next chapter essentially is but, due to real life Uni beginning to pile up and how lengthy the first scene was by itself already, I just decided to add some previously excluded parts I wanted to put in and called it a chapter. Not sure how eventful this chapter seems without its second portion but, after chapters 10 and 16, I feel that cutting chapters up makes it easier for readers to digest.

So, just a heads up for my regular readers. I'm putting Calamity Factor a bit of the backbench for the next couple of months to deal with University stuff. While I will be writing during my downtime, I wouldn't expect an update until after exams sometime in May. If I manage to get it finished during that time, I will put it up but, it's very unlikely that it will. I'll be back writing on it full-time once exams are over.

Thank you so very much for reading! Got any thoughts on the story so far? Good? Bad? Be sure to let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 – The Tuscan Sun**

Walking along the bustling Vale commercial district pavement, I can clearly see how it earned its namesake.

Vendors of all shapes and sizes fills the streets to their brim: fattening fast-food joints, cavity-inducing candy stores, almost borderless beauty-clinics because of course they of all places somehow deserve that space, and many more venue of various varieties. I'm no spender, but the sheer quantity is leaving me spinning. I'm drowning in capitalism.

My shoulder bounces off someone, sending me reeling. An irritable voice hisses.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"S-sorry!" I call, rubbing my shoulder. The passer-by grumbles as he keeps walking. I let out a small sigh, doing the same. Bigger than Glasgow. It's a lot more packed too. My body huddles inward. I feel like I'm suffocating here.

I should really watch where I'm going.

As I continue towards my destination, I begin sneaking peeks at the store windows. I have little intention of buying anything but, it's nice eye-candy, literally in the case of the cake shops, as I close in on my destination. No harm in being a little curious, after all.

My shoes skid to a halt in front of a massive music store. Feeling an intense glee welling in my chest, I step out of the way of walking traffic and press up closely to the glass, gazing wide-eyed at the large collection of instruments. Some look familiar. Others, not so much.

They have what appears to be three curvy flutes entangled together to this saxophone thing at the end and, if my eyes believe what they're telling me to believe, the edges pop out in a manner that reminds me a lot of Crescent Rose's transformative capabilities. I'm not even sure how any kind of melodic rhythm is supposed to come out of that thing.

This world is weird.

I peer in deeper, flicking my eyes over the store's inners like a comic book, past the drums, acoustics, pianos, and whatever the hell half these things are, I find…

The most beautiful bass guitar I've ever laid my eyes upon.

Look at it! Dual pickups on the bridge and middle, a long scale neck, a body styled so vintage that even comic enthusiasts would salivate at it and… is that a tuning monitor? Oh my god, it is! It's folded in at the headstock, next to the tuning pegs. It's built into the bass itself! That's so cool! Imagine playing Orion with this thing. That'd be eight minutes of pure heaven!

Who are you and why are you not in my life right now? How much do you cost? I glean over the price tag and my shoulders instantly sag.

Uh, okay. Wow. Th-that's, um, yeah. That's a lot of digits.

The store clerk glances at me, quirking a questionably eyebrow. I suppose now's not a great time to mention that I'm completely skint.

Averting my eyes from the clerk, my cheeks beginning to burn, I step away from the window and keep moving, letting out another soft sigh. It's not like I was actually going to buy it or anything…

But man was that bass gorgeous, I whistle wistfully.

Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I check on the encroaching dark clouds above, humming warily as they turn a very grumpy shade of grey. Looking at a watery afternoon, here. Thankfully, the book store is less than a couple blocks away. According to the app, I need to go past the corner here, down the street and then take a right. Store should be right there. Simple enough.

However, as I make the turn, I'm blinded by the glaring cycling of red and blue. Blinking into clarity, I'm presented with a scene.

Police cars: policemen, and police tape surrounding a large shop with an ambulance slowly driving up at the other side of the blocked off road. I look at the shop, noticing the broken glass scattered across the ground, and my eyes snap open.

Protruding proudly atop the store is an emblem – A white snowflake.

Weiss' emblem. Then this place must belong to the company she's the heiress of. It was Dust they sold, wasn't it? I'm sure she mentioned it at one point. Then this must've been a Dust burglary. I wonder if she's aware of all this.

Just outside the shop, giving a statement to a couple of officers, is the clerk holding his bloodied head as the ambulance begins to unload. Peering closely, I can see tiny shards of glass sticking out from his forehead and his right shoulder misaligned slightly from its normal position. My eyes soften.

Poor guy.

A small crowd has congregated just beyond the taped lines, nothing too dramatic but the size is still apparent from passing glances. Though, as I scan amongst the flocking mass, my eyelids narrow, and my mind registers a dreadfully familiar shade of… silver. Silver and black.

My throat churns. Standing out like the Skytree in Tokyo, is Cardin Winchester, and he's not alone. Sky, Russel, and his crony flank him, spectating as the police go about their duty. I grip my hoodie tightly.

What the hell are they doing here?! They should be at lunch!

Sky leans closer to Russel and says something. I stand still, eying them both as Russel simply shakes his head. Their attention returns to the burglarised shop.

They haven't spotted me yet. Thank god. The crime scene seems to hold their interest enough.

Tukson's Book Trade is at the other end of the street. If I'm quiet enough, I should be able to avoid them quite easily.

With tepid steps, I tread gingerly on the pavement, trying to blend the sounds of my footsteps with the passing populace. As I pass the group by, turning my cheek in an attempt to ignore them, my ears pick up Sky casually asking his team a question.

"So, this is the fifth one, right?"

"Sixth," corrects Cardin.

"Second one this week," Russel adds gruffly. "These assholes are getting cocky. Damn crooks."

As they talk, I make it to the halfway mark. I'm mere centimetres behind Cardin's bricked back. I feel the temptation to turn swell but, I beat it back down again, stilling my shaking teeth.

Sky sighs deeply, "Look at him, covered in blood. Guy was just doing his job. He didn't deserve this."

"Hell no, he didn't," agrees his ill-tempered teammate. "This the same guy doing this?"

"You mean Roman Torchwick?"

I stop, felling to curiosity at the mention of the name.

Roman Torchwick. I've heard it before. Back on the airship earlier this Monday. That's the same guy who robbed that Dust store, the same guy they keep mentioning on the news, the same guy who Ruby tried to chase down that time.

"Yep. That's the one. Guy who loves his mascara too much," Cardin scoffs, shaking his head disapprovingly. Russel folds his arms and spits venom alongside him.

"Jackass."

"The most punchable face ever."

"Total jackass."

"Seriously, it looks like it was made from Styrofoam. I just want to punch it so damn hard that his entire head just blows up. Just-" Cardin smashes his fist into his palm, causing a resounding crashing sound more akin to a car-crash than a clap.

"I'll record it," Russel nods approvingly. The two grin gladly at each other.

"Hell yeah!"

They chuckle eagerly, knocking fists roughly like a pair of greasy frat boys. Geez. How much of an asshole is Roman Torchwick supposed to be if he's got these two thinking he's complete scum?

"Isn't Roman like this, great criminal mastermind or something?" The crony says. "Why aren't the Huntsmen working on this?"

Cardin lets out a hearty laugh at his crony's enquiry, smiling and he answers proudly, "Because if they were, there wouldn't be any crimes in the first place."

"Oh boy, here he goes," says Sky, rolling his eyes.

His team leader points at him and glares, "Shut it, Sky. If the Huntsmen worked on catching Roman, they'd have his entire hideout scouted and overrun, him busted and sent to jail with a little bow on his head and a note to the cops saying, 'Get a real job, numbnuts,' because they're that damn good."

Now I'm the one rolling his eyes. Not that I have a clue what the relationship between the Huntsmen and Kingdom police is like or anything, but he's doing a pretty good job at making it sound easy, and not in a Ruby way.

"You… really think it'd be that easy?" His crony asks hesitantly.

"Of course, Dove! They're the best of the best! Just like we're the best of the best," he proclaims proudly.

"Really?" Russel says, giving the crony a pointed look. "Even Bronzewing?"

The crony tries to force an amicable smile, not bothering to offer a retort to his scowling aggressive teammate.

Cardin cuts in-between them, blinking as if the insult had been directed at him, "Uh, did I goddamn stutter, Russel? Hell yeah, Dove's one of the best. He's on my team! Our team! Team CRDL!"

Without missing a beat, he drapes his long arms over his teams' shoulders. He doesn't budge them closer, though I have no doubts that he could, but he keeps them there as if to unite his team through his bulky strength.

"We handle crap nobody else can. Kingdoms being attacked? We got it. Bandits being pricks? Nobody even remembers them anymore. Rare Grimm? That thing's already been cut up, shot up, mashed up and beaten so friggen badly that its entire race pissed itself in embarrassment from how one-sided it was!"

"And that's just the start. Boys, by the end of our careers, I guarantee we are going to be legends. They're going to write books about how great we are," he cheers grandly, like he's a Viking performing a speech for his fellow warriors.

Russel's nose scrunches up in repulsion, "Books? Screw that, I want an epic movie trilogy."

"Sure! Why the hell not?" Cardin shrugs, smacking Russel playfully on the arm. "As soon as we graduate, we can do whatever the hell we damn well please! Because from here on out, boys." He points up towards the sky, grinning wildly.

"It's all the way up to the top."

The crony smiles widely at his team leader, looking at him like an ignorant voter supporting a political candidate.

Russel sighs dramatically but, I can see a small smirk stretch from the side of his mouth. At least, I hope that's him smirking. Otherwise, his skin is contorting in a painfully creepy way. It's like his face is trying to reject all signs of positivity by pushing it out.

Sky just laughs, "You done, big guy?"

"I'll start again, Sky. So help me," Cardin threatens with an indignant glare.

My fingers fidget. He sounds so certain of all of it, like it's pre-destined. It's exactly how he was when he talked down to Pyrrha today.

He says what he's going to do, and he genuinely believes that he and everyone around him can do it. Even if that thing were to kill a god. I can't recall the last time I had even a smidge of that kind of self-confidence. If I ever had it, that is.

I sigh lightly to myself. I should leave. They've stopped talking about Roman Torchwick. I'm not going to learn anything more from them. Moving with the crowd, I walk to the end of the straight, focused on completing my goal. The bookshop is right around the corner.

I take the turn and, within a few footsteps, I'm in front of my destination.

'Tukson's Book Trade,' the sign says, emboldened in golden paint. 'Home to every book under the sun.'

I find the latter statement highly unlikely, looking at the size of the thing. I wouldn't call it small exactly, comfortable feels more suitable, but nor would I peg it as anything bigger than a community library in a rural town. No way can it have 'Every book under the sun.' I've been to the Beacon library hall, it makes this place look like a cheap alleyway business with frittering books stored in soggy boxes run by a withering hobo who smokes more than he breathes.

…I just made myself sad, now.

"No, seriously! I saw him! I saw Liddell!"

My heart skips thrice. A thick rocky substance lodges itself in my stomach. I can hear the thunderous clamping of boots storming in my direction.

That's the crony's voice. He saw me. After all that time spent eavesdropping, now I get myself caught?!

"He went this way! Come on!"

My teeth jitter. I can't let them nab me. No way. Not here!

My eyes flicker towards the ends of the street. It's a straight line. They'd easily spot me and, with all the pedestrians dotting along the pavement, I'm more likely to knock someone down than evade them.

I glint at the shop. My only real chance.

Rushing towards it, I swing the door open and hurry myself in. Closing it, I curdle my limbs inward, making myself as small as possible, as I hide behind the small wooden panelling underneath the door window. I swallow down, silently praying that they pass the shop without question.

"Ahem."

I jolt. My head whirls towards the end of the shop. Standing behind the counter, casually carrying two large stacks of books in his arms, is a tall, muscular with onyx black hair and some very prominent sideburns. He blinks expectantly at me, curious as to the reason why I'm crouching under his front door like a five-year-old.

He must be the owner, I smack myself in realization. He's Tukson.

"There! He must've went in there!"

I snap back to the door, feeling all the air being drained from my lungs. They found me! Damn it! They didn't even glance through the windows, they just knew!

What do I do?! If I make a run, they'd snatch me instantly and the shop's interior's too small to hide in! I'm trapped! Stupid! Stupid move, Eren!

Tukson sighs to himself, putting the books to the side. I watch him, still wide-eyed in panic, as he walks to the French doors leading to the back and opens them.

He gives me a look and bobs his head in its direction.

He's… helping me?

Boots draw closer. No time to question it. I bound away from the door and scurry through the door, whispering a faint "Thank you" to Tukson as I pass. Tukson removes his hand and the doors shut behind me.

The room he's led me into appears to be an especially cramped looking office. There are fallen books everywhere as well as several folders with text upon text of documentation in them and even a desk covered in paperwork. Boy, running your own book store's a job and a half, huh?

I jump as the sharp sound of the front door opening booms throughout the store. I press myself up against the wall, away from sight, listening as Tukson greets the group cordially.

"Afternoon, boys. Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade: Home to every book from under the sun. Anything I can help you with?"

"…Just looking, thanks," Cardin replies. There's a slam. Several footsteps ring through the shop.

"What's there to look at? This place is smaller than our dorm," Sky comments.

"No kidding," Russel huffs after him.

The crony quivers, "W-well maybe this guy's seen him. His windows are big, he would know where Liddell went."

"You're looking for a friend of yours?" The bookshop owner enquires. I keep myself still, biting my tongue. He didn't think to bring me in here just so he could sell me out, would he?

Their leader hums back, "Something like that. He's a short guy. Really skinny. Looks round about our age."

"Has this stupid blue hoodie he's in love with," the crony adds. I find myself clutching onto it. His voice grows exasperate after a moment. "What? He always wears that thing. It's creepy! That's how I saw him."

That's… That's how he…

Creepy? Do other people think that too? Do they notice it? B-but that's not how it's supposed to work. The passing eye isn't supposed to notice it. It's supposed…

It's supposed to be normal…

"Sure you did, Bronzewing. Just like how you saw that Scarlatina chick but then she magically turned into a real bunny," Sky says sarcastically.

"I'm serious! I saw him!"

Tukson answers them, keeping his tone placid, "Hm. Sorry, but I'm afraid I didn't see a boy in a 'blue hoodie.' If your friend really saw him, he didn't come this way."

"What?!" The crony exclaims, hands planting on what I believe to be the front desk. "No! You had to have seen him! He ran in your shop's direction!"

"Called it. Bronzewing didn't see him," groans Russel. "You wasted our time again. Well done, dumbass."

"Yeah, let's bail," agrees Sky. "Sorry shop-keep."

"Load of bullshit…"

Their steps grow further away, heading towards the front. They're planning to leave. They're actually going away. Thank goodness, I let out a voiceless sigh of relief.

"No, no! I did see him! He went this way! I saw it!" The crony cries desperately. "Cardin, you saw him, right? Back me up here!"

Cardin takes a moment to answer. Nails scratch against his neck's skin as he wheezes wearily, "…I wasn't looking, Dove. Nobody was. Just drop it. We'll catch Liddell-boy some other time."

A quiet elation spreads across my face. Even Cardin's giving up on looking for me, I'm practically in the home straight. I can't believe this is actually working!

After few audible pats to the back, Cardin heavy boots trample towards the door. From this far away, the walls muffle a quick exchange of words between the three. The lack of a fourth set of footsteps tell me that the crony is still standing idly at the front desk. Lingering on his failure, most likely. I'm finding it very difficult to feel the least bit sorry for him, though. I'm just waiting for him to leave.

"Wait," he starts again. "The back door, what's behind it?"

The hairs on my neck prickle but Tukson's voice barely changes a decibel.

"There? A few piles of books for restocking and an office. That's off-limits to customers," he says.

Everything goes quiet for a second. Blinking, I press my ear up closer to the wall. A soft, breathy giggling emits from the other side, building slowly until he's fully blown laughing. My gut sinks. No. He didn't. He's laughing in realization, in pride at his discovery.

"Ah… Ahahah! That's it! I knew it! You're hiding him!"

He knows!

"Oh, you stupid stubborn shithead!" Russel roars. Fumes pluming from his mouth, he storms towards the front desk and grabs the crony roughly by the scruff of his scarf. "Give it up, already! You screwed up! Leave him the hell alone!"

The crony shouts back, "No! I'm onto him! He…" He struggles in vain against Russel's violent grip, throat croaking under pressure as he cries out, "Look at his nails! Looks at his nails right there!"

His… nails?

"What the hell are you-"

The struggle stops suddenly. Russel gasps, as he releases his grasp on the crony. I feel tempted to sneak a peek through the french door windows but, with so much attention at the front, they'd spot me instantly. What about his nails? What's going on?

"…He's right. These aren't nails at all. They're claws," Russel says, the tension is his voice rising like a boiling volcano.

Claws?

I cup my hands around my mouth, preventing myself from gasping at the realization. That means…

"This bastard's a Faunus!" Russel erupts.

Cardin returns to the desk, tone noticeably more hostile, "He's… what."

The crony nods, "Yeah, yeah! Remember those books from the other day? Liddell has a Faunus fetish!"

My fingers clench my skull. Patches of white icy cold fear and red burning hot flushes dart around my face. Calling it a perverted kink was bad enough but, they're honestly assuming that I know this guy because of that?! This guy has nothing to do with me!

Leave him alone!

"Hiding your identity, huh? What else you hiding, big man? Something bad?" Cardin says.

"Bit convenient, ain't it? Small time shop, right in the middle of Vale? You're a White Fang infiltrator, aren't you? You sneaky bastard," Russel snarls, slamming his fists on the desk. "You're a goddamn terrorist!"

"…You're all making a lot of assumptions here, boys. If you haven't noticed, I'm not hiding from anyone," Tukson says carefully.

"Oh, yeah? Then what do you have in your back room?! White Fang plans!" Russel venomously accuses. I flinch at his burning intensity. His temper's worsening. It doesn't matter what Tukson tells him now, he's not going to believe a single word.

The crony interjects, "Uh, Russel? I was, uh, thinking more along the lines of Li-"

"Shut up, Bronzewing! I don't give a shit about Liddell!" He bites.

"O-okay, okay," heels the crony, whimpering away like a smacked dog. Cardin's footsteps creep up to flank Russel,

"If this terrorist isn't going to tell us anything, I say…" His voice sparks dangerously. "We perform our duty."

My skin feels frosty. A sweaty breath exhales as my heartbeat batters rapidly. He wouldn't do it. He's not serious. He wouldn't dare…

"Are you boys threatening me? I wouldn't make those lightly if I were you," Tukson warns. He's not raising his voice like Russel but, I can feel a certain sharpness around it, like a sword slowly being drawn from its sheath.

But Cardin is undaunted, "No? Because I can sure as hell back them up, you rat."

"Uh, hold on-" The crony attempts to object but is quickly swept aside by the forceful needless of the two aggressive fighters.

"Damn straight, you goddamn animal. We'll make you talk, even if we have to burn this whole damn place to the ground!" Russel spits, refusing to back down.

"Th-this is getting a little extreme now! Uh, Sky? Sky, do something!"

"Nothing I can do, Bronzewing. Once Russel's face to face with a Faunus, nothing can stop him. Just stay out of the way and wait until it's over," Sky answers, complicit.

"What?!" The crony shrieks, reeling in horror. "Guys! Come on! This is crazy! I-I thought we just went after students! Not civilians!"

Cardin and Russel close in on Tukson, baring over him like two lions about to tear a piece of meat to bits. My nails dig into the side of my cheek. They're going to maul him. They're going to maul and it's my fault! I shouldn't have come here, I should've ran!

I eye the door handle. I can't let him be beaten for my dumb mistakes. I have to stop them! Leaping towards it, I put a hand on the handle and-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warns Tukson again. I stop, hand resting on the handle, blinking as I remain hidden. Was… he talking to me?

"Love your tough talk, huh? Sorry but, we're not some little kids who'd fall for crap like that," Cardin growls.

The shop-keeper shakes his head, his arm dropping underneath the desk, "I'm not trying to intimidate you, I'm trying to warn you."

Thump, thump.

He prods the underside of his desk. I raise my eyebrows in utter confusion, as does the rest of team CRDL. Why's he doing that? What's under there?

Sky gasps.

"A silent alarm!"

"Wh-what?!" The crony exclaims. "When did he push it?!"

"Early enough. You're not the first batch of self-righteous punks to try and mess with me and my store," says Tukson. "The police have a car dispatched just a block from here. They'll be here any minute now. You're all Huntsmen-in-training, right? What exactly would your academy think if they found out you all were arrested for malicious intent. Last I checked, Huntsmen are supposed to defend the innocent. Not persecute them based on their species."

In a single moment, the tension in the entire room changes. While Sky and the crony's shocked reactions are far more evident, the terse shift in the lack of aggression from Cardin and Russel gives their apprehension away. They're not jumping over and throttling the man first-hand, they have something to think about now.

As do I, still holding onto the handle.

Russel grits his teeth, leaning into the desk dogmatically, "You're bluffing. You didn't call crap. There's nothing there!"

I chew my lip. Isn't there? I don't know, I never checked. I rushed past him without even considering it.

"Are you sure you want to test that?" Tukson asks calmly. His voice isn't faltering. There's no hesitation: no stutters, no stammers, no mumbles, no murmurs, no reluctance, no doubt. If he's truly lying or not, I don't think any of us is able to tell. Russel still hasn't thrown a punch, he can't tell either.

Tukson's in complete control, both in the situation and in himself.

The crony's losing his mind. He pleads to his leader, "Cardin! Stop him! W-we're all going to get arrested!"

Cardin's quiet, contemplative. Sky may not be able to reason with Russel, but reasoning won't matter if their leader simply decided to grab him and pull him out of the book shop. He's at the very least thinking about it. He has to be aware of the consequences.

Cardin, please. Stop this!

"Nobody leave."

Damn it, no!

"A-are you kidding me?!" The crony shrieks in dismay. "O-oh god! This can't be happening. This isn't happening! We're all going to jail!"

Ploy or not, it doesn't matter to them. They're going to attack him whether it's true or not. It's like logic has totally slipped their minds and they're turning into ravaging beasts. We're back at square one, again.

The handle jitters in my hands. What do I do? If Tukson's lying, then the pair of them are going to tear him apart, the police won't show, and I'll be stuck watching in here like a coward! But, what if he isn't? What if he's telling the truth, but I go out there? Would I make the situation even worse? Would I spring something I couldn't handle?

The silence is painful: Cardin and Russel are still there, about to attack, Sky and the crony are standing there, refusing to do anything and Tukson is standing in the middle of it all, cool but in the middle of all their fire.

"Well then," he says. "Make your move."

What do I do? What do I do? What the hell do I do?!

"Screw this!"

With that yell, the silence mercifully dies. The remaining CRDL members break formation, turning to stare surprised at their teammate as his boots retreat from the shop.

"S-Sky?" The crony stammers.

"Sky!" Russel exclaims, aghast. "What the hell, man?! Where are you going?!"

"Russel, dude, I've been cool with your 'I hate Faunus' thing for a long, long time but, I am not going to lose my position at Beacon for this! I've worked too damn hard for it!" He shouts back, opening the front door. "I'm out!"

The door bangs against its hinges as Sky flees the scene.

Russel calls out for him, "Sky! Sky! Motherf-" Before he gives chase, he glares daggers at Tukson, steam fuming from his nostrils. He points at him, "You'll get yours," and then rushes out of the store, still yelling out in aggravation for his teammate.

"Dove," Cardin speaks.

"Y-yeah?" He replies.

"We're leaving."

The… Bronzewing, nods at this, "Good…"

I let go of the door handle, feeling the shirt beneath my hoodie drenched in sweat. I allow the sharp breaths to come, running a hand across my forehead. That was… far too close to becoming something serious.

"Liddell-boy." My body freezes. "Hiding and letting somebody else deal with your problems. That the kind of leader you really are? You're even more pathetic than I thought," Cardin says snidely. I can picture his face writhing in contempt.

"People like you don't deserve to be Huntsmen."

Finally, Cardin and Bronzewing exit the shop, leaving both it and its owner in peace.

Tukson lets out a gigantic breath of air.

"If these kids are the future of the Huntsmen, justice truly is dead in the world," he muses bitterly. He chaps on the way lightly. "You can come out now."

Meekly, I stand up and return to the main area of the shop. I take a glance at the interiors, thankfully left unharmed by the team. I let out a small sigh and I bow my head to the gracious shop owner.

"I-I'm so very sorry. I-I shouldn't have led them here. Th-that was… That was a mistake. I am so, so sorry."

Tukson rubs his neck tiredly but waves me off, "No, it happens. Besides, I picked that battle. If I didn't want that to happen, I would've left you there."

"S-still, y-you shouldn't have had to deal with that," I say. That shouldn't have escalated the way it did. Getting caught would've made things easier for him.

But, Tukson shakes his head, "Kid, I used to deal with this sort of thing on a daily basis. At least I don't have to deal with it as often, anymore."

O-oh, right.

I sneak a look at his nails, or rather his claws. They're real, sharp and steel-like. I've read that Faunus traits manifest themselves in different ways but, I never thought they'd be quite so subtle. Do other Faunus have traits that aren't quite so obvious? How does he brandish them? Are there any other benefits that come with it?

He's giving me odd looks now.

"S-sorry," I say.

"So, you're a student too?" Tukson says, changing the subject. He eyes me critically. "A leader, huh? Not what I expected but, better this than you so-called classmates."

Thanks… I suppose. I don't think I'd have to make that much of an effort though.

A thought rekindles in my head.

"Um, actually, my academy is sort of why I'm here," I tell him, flashing my Scroll. "I-I've been sent here by the academy to, um, t-to, uh, to order some books f-for them."

He raises an eyebrow, thumb on his chin. "In person?" Is… that not normal? Does the school have a direct line to its book distributers? I wish I could say. I don't know a thing about business, I'm completely clueless.

He nods, "Very well. Fire away."

I open the notepad app and recite every single book the T.A. told me. Despite not having a jotter of his own, Tukson seems to take in all the book names easily. By the time I reach the finally book, he seems to already have all to committed to his to do list.

"And… The Man of a Thousand Lives," I finish.

Tukson unfolds his arms. "Right. Okay. I'll contact my providers and let me know. I'll inform your academy of the shipping details when I get them," he explains. "Alright, we're done. You can go tell your teachers you've done your job."

I bob my head, "Mm. Okay. Th-thank you."

Job's done. Time to go back to Beacon. I've still got a lot of research to catch up on, and I need to dry the bath before I suffer through another watery night. I turn away and head for the front door, stopping at Tukson's voice.

"Hey, kid," he says, pointing a finger at his chin and flicking it upwards. "Keep your chin up. The moment you begin to think you're the problem is the moment they win. Don't give them the satisfaction."

…He's right. The more I let their words bother me, the harder it becomes to endure them long enough. Show signs of faltering and they'll eat me alive.

I bow in appreciation, "R-right. Thank you, Tukson," before leaving the book trade.

* * *

And soon as I leave the shop, my head is splashed damp. Gazing up and, yep. The grey clouds from earlier have burst and the entirety of Vale is being pelted by an onslaught of rain. Streams of water begin to flow at the side of the streets, flooding into sewer gates. Umbrella-less people run by, seeking cover, splashing pools of water all over the place.

I put on my hood and begin to run. Within a few seconds, I'm running drenched. Some things never change. Wherever a Scotsman may go, rain is sure to follow. It's depressingly normal.

I'm oddly thankful for it, though. It's comforting, a familiar feeling in a land I don't fully understand.

The next airship back to Beacon should be leaving in about ten minutes or so. The station's a fair distance away but, If I hurry, I should be able to catch it and save myself another drizzling thirty minutes.

I almost trip at a loud booming sound.

My eyes snap up. In the sky, burning powerfully towards the Academy, is a locker. That's one of the rocket lockers from the school.

That must be the same locker from earlier, the one called during lunch.

That's strange. Lunch was nearly an hour ago. A typical encounter with random punks shouldn't last more than two minutes at best.

This isn't sitting right with me…

I take note of the smoke trail funnelling out barely a few blocks away. My lips curl uncomfortably, glancing at my Scroll's clock again. It could be nothing but, I just know that this'll only keep bothering me if I don't make sure. I'll grab the airship after it.

Affirming my decision, I race towards the residing trail, ducking past other people on my way to the crime.

Tracking the source, I find myself skidding to a halt outside of an arcade. The building itself isn't the source though, as I see no evidence of structural damage or assaulted people anywhere. The locker launched in-between it and another building, in an alleyway.

Alleyways, I murmur. Clammy, claustrophobic and worldwide criminal hotspots. Never good.

Multiple echoing footsteps startle me. I throw myself behind cover, peeking out to observe the possible contributors to the scene. Three individual footsteps, I count. Though…

My breath hitches. I know these footsteps. Quite clearly, actually.

Team CRDL exits the alleyway though, Sky is nowhere to be seen.

Cardin stretches his arms, sighing happily, "Ahh! Russel, my man, you weren't kidding. Guy's like a walking talking punching bag. He just feels so good to hit! That's what I call stress relief."

Russel grumbles in response, cracking his knuckles.

Bronzewing is currently leaning against the wall, gagging and making sickening sounds. I think I heard him mumble, "Why couldn't we have left his boxers on?"

"Come on. Let's go hit up the arcade. Rain's going to be on for a while," Cardin says. His teammates comply as all three usher themselves into the arcade.

Ensured that none of them saw me, I step out of cover, peering curiously down the alley.

What the hell were they up to in there?

Apprehension caressing my heart, I pace deeper inward, shoes clicking gingerly against stone. Raindrops rattle loose piping as whatever light beaming through the darkened clouds is blocked out by the ensnaring buildings.

Eventually, I reach a small clearing. Black bags and trash bins align the wall belonging to the arcade, filled with discarded discount cups and other scrounged up filth. In the middle is a small crater caved through the pavement, slowly filling with water. This must be where the locker landed then. Which means whoever it was that Cardin…

They should still be around here.

Breathing. Heavy breathing. It's hoarse, uneven, like their lungs are exhaling out of sync. It's agonizing to listen to. I spin around. It seems to be coming from the direction of the trash. One of the trash bins is shuddering horribly.

"H-hello?" I call out timidly.

It stops. A shaky voice emits from the bin.

"…E-Eren?"

No way.

"Jaune? Is that you?" I call, closing in. "What are you doing in there?" Immediately forgoing my anxiety, I reach for the bin lid.

"No, wait! Don't lift it u-"

I pry it open and…

"Oh my god," I gasp, blood colouring my face bright red as I reel back in shock. Jaune snatches the lid out of my hand and covers himself back up again. Face still beating red, I turn away while frantically repeating, "I-I am so, so sorry!"

Now I understand what Bronzewing was talking about. And unfortunately, what Cardin was talking about.

Bruises. Several of them, big and small, beaten into his body. I think I saw a couple patches of purple around his abdomen too. They look awful but, they shouldn't even be there in the first place. Not if his Aura…

I gulp. I know. Everything around me is pointing to it being the answer but, I need him to validate it.

"Jaune. You were in that locker, weren't you?" I ask him. "You didn't show up after your fight. I sent you some texts but, you never responded. What were you doing in there?"

"I…" His mouth sounds sticky, like his saliva has turn to glue and he's struggling to fight it. My shoulders tense. Jaune's never had any problems answering before, not even when faced with Weiss' fury.

It's true, isn't it? Tell me it's true.

"…I really don't want to talk about it."

…Then it is true.

Cardin's been going Jaune, like he has me. He took his clothes: he shoved him into the locker, he sent him to Vale, he dragged him out again and then he… beat him.

A burning blaze bubbles in my stomach. He couldn't have settled for making my life hell, could he? He had to go for Jaune.

 _That bastard._

I wish I fired. I wish I pointed the barrel in his direction. I wish I never listen to myself and gave them exactly what they deserve!

Air thrashes from my clenched maw. But it's never that simple, is it? Of course it's not, why would it be? It wasn't simple in High School with egos fraying and self-control limited. _How could this be any different?_!

I breathe, pushing the raging fire down. I don't know how to solve that, so I shouldn't worry about it now.

My teammate's holing himself up in a trash bin, covered in rotten apples and flat sugary drinks. This takes priority.

Jaune sighs, "Look, Eren, just leave me here, alright? I'll figure something out. You don't have to stick around."

Like hell I don't. Does he really expect me to abandon him and pretend this never happened? No way.

Besides, "You don't have your Scroll on you, do you?"

His silence confirms it.

I rest my finger on my chin, pacing around the alley as I observe my surroundings. Alright, here's the problem. Jaune's… n-naked. I need to grab him some clothes for the airship -We can use my student ID to get on- but if I did it all myself, Jaune would be left alone for far too long and someone else might discover him.

I glance at the crater in the ground. A thought comes to mind…

I click my fingers in delight.

"Hold on! I think I have an idea," I tell him, scavenging for my Scroll and opening my contacts.

I'll admit, I really don't feel comfortable with asking someone else for help but, this isn't about me. I shouldn't be trying to prove anything here. This is about helping Jaune and getting him back to Beacon safe and sound.

I linger on the two names presented to me. I only need to ask one of them for assistance but, I'm not entirely sure who. I tap my cheek, deep in thought.

…I choose. I tap her name and let the dial ring. Within a few seconds, she picks up and a cheerful voice comes through.

 _"Hey, Eren! What's going on?"_

I smile, "Hey, Yang. Listen, um, I hate to ask but, I kinda need a favour."

 _"You're… asking me for help?"_ She asks, taken aback. I can feel her eyes narrow at me from beyond the call. _"What does Ruby call your gun?"_

"Violet Vigil and, yes, it's really me asking this. It's a… special situation," I answer.

She snorts, _"I'll bet. What do you need?"_

"Is Weiss still around?"

 _"Her? I think she went back to your team's dorm."_

Good. That makes things much easier.

"Okay. Go to my room, knock on the door and ask her to let you in. Tell her it's important LABS business," I explain.

 _"Ugh, I have to talk to her?"_ She moans loudly. I can't really blame her. I don't like dealing with her normally, and I don't have a choice.

I rub my head apologetically, "Sorry. I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't urgent."

She sighs dramatically, _"Fine. I'll deal with it. What then?"_

"Go into our closet and take out some of Jaune's clothes, they're the biggest ones there. Don't worry if they don't match, I just need a full-set."

 _"So, you found him then?"_ She asks.

"Y-yeah," I reply, unable to hold back a stutter.

Her voice coats with concern, _"Did something happen?"_

"It's… not my story to tell," I reply sombrely.

 _"Is he okay?"_

I glance back at Jaune. His blue eyes blink at me from inside the bin, neck up in disgusting half-eaten fast food. He looks so… rundown.

My hand clings to the Scroll.

"He's… not his usual self."

 _"That does sound urgent,"_ she says seriously.

I shake my head. That isn't hers to be burdened with. I only need her help with the clothes. Everything else is on me.

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. Once you've got his clothes, head to the locker room and go to my locker. The passcode is ten, zero, eight, twelve. Put his clothes in there and then send me a text. I'll take it from there," I explain further.

 _"Go to your room: annoy the ice queen to open the door, steal Vomitboy's puke-pants, and stuff them in your locker. Anything else, oh master? Muffin? Sour-bomb? It's a special occasion. You might never ask me for help again."_ Her usual lively self returns, but it's a supplement, not a replacement. I know she's still taking this situation seriously. I can't help but choke on a laugh.

"An I.O.U on your desk is fine for me, thanks," I reply jokingly.

Yang's feigns a sour tone, blenching, _"Bleh. That's not very imaginative."_

I giggle softly, "I did technically design Warbreaker, you know. Imagination's not my strong suit."

She scoffs exaggeratedly, _"Oh, you know that's not true. You just need a little motivation."_

Hm. Motivation, huh?

"I'll add a couple of rocket-launchers to the top of it, then," I say playfully.

 _"That's the spirit!"_ She laughs. I can't help but laugh with her. This usually happens when we talk to one another. It's something we can't really help. We both just love to laugh, I suppose.

It's nice. Honestly, it's one of the many reasons I like being around her.

My laughter slowly fades away, "Heh. Well, I better go. Thanks for doing this, Yang." My finger pre-emptively gets into position to end the call when her voice stops me.

 _"Eren, wait. About earlier…"_

…Of course. Lunch. She did say that it 'Wasn't over' didn't she? I suppose it was a bit too optimistic of me to hope that she wouldn't bring it up. She did say it 'Wasn't over.' Yang always makes good on her promises.

I exhale softly and step a few paces away from Jaune. I want this part to be private.

"It's nothing. Really. Don't get worked up about it," I say. I'm putting on the best assuring tone I possibly can but, Yang doesn't give it any mind.

Her voice, however, is strangely gentle as she asks, _"Do you remember what I said to you all those months ago? When we both went to Patch?"_

All those months ago?

Oh. I see. In November, when they first took me in. The bike ride into Patch. It was also the first time Yang and I spent any real time together outside of anxious greetings and a one-sided duel.

The café.

"Yeah, I remember," I affirm.

 _'Just, y'know, if there's anything you want to talk about, you can tell me,' she says, flashing me a cocky smile. 'Trust me, I'm a better listener than I look.'_

That's what she told me. I remember it all too well.

 _"I meant it. Whatever this thing with Sky is, I can help."_

…She did say that. She asked me out, looking to find out about where I came from, about why my name was different from everyone else's, about why I didn't want to tell them anything. She only got one answer that day, but she hasn't asked since. None of them have.

She offered to be an ear for anything I wanted to talk about. I accepted, for whatever reason my panic-addled mind had.

Maybe I did want it. Or maybe I was just being polite. Whatever the reason, things are different now.

And I can't accept it.

Her voice is purely earnest, _"You don't need to push me out."_

…She always liked it when I'm honest.

"…That's the thing. I do."

She goes quiet. I can't see her face, but I'm not sure if I want to. Is she disappointed? I wish she weren't, but I have to do this alone. Or else, I'll never truly be their equal.

"Bye, Yang," I say lowly.

 _"…Yeah. Bye."_

I wince slightly.

It's not bitter, or even angry, but it's not happy either. She hangs up first and I take a deep breath. She didn't say anything about not helping with this so, the plan's still on at least.

I exhale, brushing my hair to the left. Please don't take this personally. You're not the problem.

…Jaune. I still need to help Jaune. I turn back around.

"Right," I begin elaborating. "Yang's handling the first part. Once she's loaded my locker with your clothes, I'll call it here and you can put them on inside it. It's still afternoon so, the airship back to Beacon should be still working. We'll use my Scroll to get us both in and you'll be back in our room within an hour."

His head stretches further out, face brightening somewhat, "Huh. Very neat and tidy."

I nod, "Hopefully, it will be." Assuming Weiss doesn't make a show and dance out of it.

He shifts uneasily, "Does she know about…"

I blink, "Yang? She probably caught on but, don't worry. She won't laugh at you."

I think I made it pretty clear that what's happened isn't funny. Having a sense of humour entails that you know when the right time to make a joke is.

"Talk about small mercies. Heheh…" Jaune chuckles bitterly. I pick up one of the binbags to drain the water pooling into it. I place it back down and take a seat, sitting down gingerly enough that it doesn't burst. I'm already drenched from the rain anyway, so it's not too big of a deal. All we need to do now is wait for Yang to come back.

My nose twitches, "Achoo!"

I sniffle. Ugh. Hope that's not another cold coming on. Winter was bad enough. Turns out, wearing a lukewarm hoodie instead of an actual warm jacket in the icy outback wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had.

"Eren. Why are you doing this?" Jaune asks suddenly.

"Hm?" I tilt my head in confusion. His eyes are cast down, staring at the rubbish inside. He's been humiliated, beaten and now he's freezing in a trash bin. The fact that he's asking me that while he's stuck in there baffles me. "Should I not be?"

"No. It's… Ugh," he heaves tiredly, gazing at the bin. "Look at me. Look at where I am. I'm naked an-and covered in trash! This is…" He rubs his face. "Th-this is… definitely a new one. I-I'll give it that."

Jaune…

"I'm… not sure why you would ask me that," I admit. "But, that's exactly why I'm doing this. You're in trouble. I… I can't walk away from that."

I smile softly, "I can't just leave you alone."

We exchange a look. I nod assuredly at him. It's as he said, he's stuck here without any means of returning to Beacon. He'd be in this trash bin until morning, waiting until one of us found him again. Why would I walk away? How could I?

Jaune quietly slivers back into the bin. I can't tell if he's satisfied with my answer or not.

I rub my hands together and breathe hot air into them, waiting patiently for Yang's signal as I stare into the crater hole.

Cardin. I shouldn't have been so self-centred to think that I was the only one he's been after. This is starting to become serious and I don't know if my tactic of avoiding him is going to work for much longer. When it came down to it, figuring out how to get Jaune back felt simple. But with Cardin…

I sigh again. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay. Dialogue chapters. My favourite. God, I miss fight scenes. Proper ones, not that farce with Eren Vs. Sky. I want to write someone getting punched across the room again. I want chaos! Mindless, untempered chaos! I will make Eren's pain receptors short-circuit damn it!

Instead, I wrote a naked Jaune hiding in a trash bin scene. Because I swear to god, I actually do like Jaune. Honest. Pinky swear.

Anyway, managed to squeak this one out before exam time. This one will definitely be the last until May. Got to be a responsible human being and get all them grades. Because lord do I need them.

Also, Calamity Factor hit 100 favorites last month! Thank you all very much for sticking with the story for so long and, hopefully, I will start to pick up the update pace and this story can go a little quicker.

As always, if you have any thoughts on the story so far, be they good or bad, be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is encouraged!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 – Frigid**

"Dust Faculty Access?"

I read the header of the form aloud. Weiss stands over my shoulder, arms folded, gazing at me sternly.

"Have this completed by the end of next week. I want my team to have access to the academy's Dust application equipment as soon as possible. Don't fret buying some for yourself, I had my own supply flown in on the first day," she says.

I lean forward, elbows resting on the dorm study desk, flicking through the rest of the form. It's three pages-worth of required information to fill. Nothing serious: Name, Age, School Year, Student ID number, typical stuff. Nothing particularly taxing, like medical records that I don't have or something.

However, my forehead crinkles in confusion. Dust application? For combat?

"I-I thought that, um, th-that Dust was used f-for fuel?"

She quirks an eyebrow, "…Excuse me?"

I wriggle, "L-like, you know, for cars and, um, stuff…"

That's the extent of my knowledge, anyway. I know Bumblebee's fuelled by it, and some of the tech littered around the house has some correlation with it too but, that's it. It wasn't something I divulged much time into researching if I'm honest. As much as I like Sci-Fi, actual science could never hold my attention.

Weiss squints. I squirm in my seat. She groans and rolls her eyes before digging into her schoolbag once more. Within seconds, she pulls out a thin beige pamphlet and thrusts it into my arms.

"Read this and get educated," she huffs. Blinking, I fiddle the pamphlet upright and read the title.

'Dust for dummies: And other Inadequate Individuals.'

"Thanks…" I say, deadpan creeping into my voice. Might as well have dropped a dunce cap on my head while you were at it. I set the pamphlet next to my jotter and textbook for later.

"Oh. Also," Weiss starts, scavenging into her bag again. This time, she takes out an exact copy of the form she's just given and hands it to me. "Give this copy to Blake if she comes back. I'd make certain that she received it personally but…"

She directs our attention to the girl's empty bed. Annoyance creases and she recalls this early morning.

Blake had already left by the time my teammates woke up, but I awoke before her, pretending as though I had slept in my bed and not in a bathtub as per usual. Our eyes connected for but a second before she got changed and left.

Neither of us spoke a word to each other.

"I believe she's avoiding me," she bemoans. "Besides, I don't have the time to chase after her. I have a supervisor assessment to complete today. Beacon isn't so careless to allow their valuable Dust equipment to be used without someone there to prevent the entire academy from blowing up."

Fair enough. Death by inadvertent terrorism isn't an appealing way to go. I take Blake's form and placing it on the pile. She zips up her bag, "I'll be back later."

I nod in understanding. Once set, Weiss turns and heads for the door. I'm about to let her go when a thought suddenly occurs to me.

"Wait, what about Jaune?"

Her hand stops on the handle. She glances over her shoulder, "What about him?"

"Does he have a form?"

"What purpose would that serve?" She chides, eyebrows scrunching. "His weapon doesn't have an energy conduit, there's no place for the Dust to go. It'd be a waste of everyone's time. There'd be no point."

That's not the point, I mumble. She's involving everyone on the team in this endeavour but him. How exactly is he going to feel once he finds out that Weiss has intentionally been excluding him?

I want to raise my voice in disagreement but…

A twinge of doubt creeps into my mind. I don't know a thing about how the Dust process works, nor whether Jaune is truly interested in Dust augmentations or not. I don't know him that well. Would he truly care that much? I feel like I'm being presumptuous, needlessly fighting a non-existent fight. I bite my lip.

Leave it, I tell myself. I'd only make things worse, anyway.

Victorious, Weiss turns up her nose. "Hmph. Glad you understand."

"Speaking of whom," she starts. "Jaune. He's foolish: clumsy, impulsive, undisciplined, and completely talentless. He shouldn't have been allowed to attend after initiation, let alone picked from the entrance exam. The proctors were full of perfectly intelligent people, they had to be aware of his ineptitude. Yet, he's here." She spins around, eyes glinting.

"Don't you think that's strange?"

My fingers drum anxiously against the table. It's not necessarily an accusation, but it feels like one. The events from Friday must've made her suspicious. From her perspective, it's no surprise. The fact neither Jaune or myself provided a proper explanation for it doesn't really help matters.

"…I never gave it much thought," I tell her.

She stands there for a beat, eyes critical and thinking. I pay them little mind, setting aside my form and reaching for my jotter. With a click of a pen, I throw myself into my studies, putting a full-stop to our conversation.

"Hm. No. Of course, you wouldn't," she says slowly. The door screeches open and shut. I listen out for her echoing clinks from her heels, slowly fading down the corridor. Fading. Fading…

Silence.

Wind gusts from my lungs. Too close. Far too close. The way she barged in, I thought for sure I'd be discovered.

Feeling secure, I set my textbook, whatever subject it's on, aside and go to fetch the book I quickly slid under my bed before she walked in – The book I previously was studying.

Remnant Legends and Myths. Thankfully unharmed, despite what Cardin put it through.

I return to my desk, placing the book down. Flipping my jotter to the back, filled with a list of myths, origins, locations and a scrabble of notes from several brainstorming sessions I've had during studies.

Twirling the pen between my fingers, I return to work.

Throughout the tales of supposed miracles, of heroes with interchangeable names, of giants Grimm more than likely made to scare little toddlers and reckless souls alike, I search for that elusive connection I've been yearning for. Names are scratched out after just being written, guesses are made and dismissed within seconds of creation, and many pages are read thrice over while others are barely given any notice whatsoever.

Such is how my time alone in the dorm is spent. I spend more time doing this than actual studying.

Probably going to make my life hell when it comes to the end of semester exams but, eh. I'll find a way to manage. This is far more important anyhow.

The rest of the morning disappears quickly. About three pages has been bloated in black ink, and roughly forty or so pages have passed in the meantime. I chew the back end of my pen. For as much time as I put in, I don't feel any closer to home than before I started.

I lean back against my chair and let out a great sigh. Forgot what proper studying felt like. I didn't miss it. I cast my resting eyes to the window, looking out at the lovely sunny day and the Kingdom of Vale, just beyond the grand ocean between.

…Why am I here?

There has to be a reason. This whole thing, a new world, vicious monsters, people with naturally colourful hair and superpowers, it's too crazy not to have a reason. There needs to be a purpose behind this.

But then, why me? What does this 'purpose' want anything to do with me?

No. What it wants doesn't matter. I don't care about what it wants. It took me away from my home, from my family, from my life. It can go straight to hell for all I care.

…There has to be a purpose. There must be.

"Crap," I ruffle my hair. There I go again, going in circles and ending up nowhere. I ask myself that question far too many times as it is.

Rattling. I jolt upright, snapping towards the door. The handle fiddles but the door remains closed. I hear muffled cursing followed by frantic cluttering. Someone's trying to get in. I stand gingerly and tiptoe over, gently pressing my ear against the wood. I'm aware of who it more than likely is but… I'd rather not take any chances.

Turning the handle slowly, leaving the door open ajar. I peek through…

The door falls open. I stand slack-jawed. Uh…

"J-Jaune?"

Good news: It's exactly who I thought it would be and nobody I hoped it wouldn't.

Normal news: He's digging into his bag looking for something.

Weird news: He's wearing a ballet outfit: a pair of black tights, a sweaty pink shirt clinging to his skin, and some crude dancing shoes that look like third generation hand-me downs.

You'd think this world would stop surprising me at some point but, nope.

"…Eren! Hey!" He grins pleadingly, "Please let me in."

Without delay, I hurry him into the room and swiftly shut the door. Before I'm given any time to process anything, Jaune recklessly tossing his things aside, grabbing a new set of clothes from the drawers, and hastily heads for the bathroom. He couldn't even wait to get in before clumsily throwing his shirt off.

"Taking a shower! Be out in fifteen! If it breaks, it's totally not my fault!" He yells, slamming the door closed with his foot.

…Nice to see you too, Jaune.

The shower bursts to life. Luckily, due to his haste, Jaune hadn't taken a glance at my desk and missed my studying session. With the time given, I begin to clear away my stuff, hiding it from him before he can question me later.

As he was going in, I managed to snag a look at his torso. To my relief, the bruises and marks inflicted on him Friday had all but healed, and there weren't anymore to take their place. We're on student grounds again so, I'm hoping that will be enough to dissuade them from attacking again.

Have to say though, despite lacking bulk, Jaune's surprisingly muscular. Especially around the shoulders area. I think he might even have Yang beat. I wouldn't go as far to say he'd beat her in an arm wrestling contest, though. Hm, maybe muscles aren't always the best measurement for strength here.

…Wh-Why am I comparing my friend's muscles?! Jesus, I sound like a creep!

Scuppering those thoughts in a fluster, I think on a far more important topic.

The events of Friday. Finding out that CRDL… are going after Jaune too.

So, what the hell am I supposed to do about this? Now that I know, I can't simply leave it alone, nor do I want to, but I've never been in this position before. Not even my internet friends confided their problems with me, nobody has. I can't suggest the method I've been using so far to him. I'm fairly easy to ignore but, Jaune? You couldn't ignore him even if he were invisible. Avoiding CRDL isn't going to cut it with him.

Research hidden, I sigh and rub my cheeks. If it were only me. If it were only me they went after…

Talk. I should talk to him about it. This is his problem I'm trying to deal with, perhaps he has an idea of what to do.

Slipping into my pocket, I take out my Scroll to check the time. It flashes. Thirty minutes before the end of lunch. Wow, I was really at it for a while. This might make things convenient, however. If Jaune came right back to the room without grabbing something from the cafeteria, then he's probably starving.

That's it, I nod. We'll have lunch together in the dorm, away from the others. Weiss didn't specify when she'll be back so, there's a chance that she won't be all that irritated if we don't eat as a team today.

And, it'll give me ample opportunity to try and talk to him.

"Hey, Jaune?" I call, "I'm going to grab some lunch from the common room. Do you want me to grab you something?"

"Uh- Ah! Cold spurt!" He yipes. "Whatever's there is good, tha- Ahh! What is wrong with our boiler?!"

This man has no luck, whatsoever.

"Okay, uh… I'll be back in a bit. Try not to die, please."

"No- Ah-Hah! Promises!"

Well, that's unfortunate.

I pat my pocket, ensuring that I have my Scroll so I can get back in, and, after taking a breath, I exit the dorm and speedily step down the corridor.

The common room is a fair distance from us. Nothing leg-straining or anything but, the sooner I grab lunch, the less likely I am to walk into anyone… I wouldn't like to see. I'm hoping that none of them are there.

Put it simply, the common rooms here are the academy are what would happen if a kitchen and a lounge crashed into one another and the remaining pieces magically fused together. The lounge portion has the usual congregation of sofas, tables and a wide-screen LCD television while the kitchen portion contains all the typical utilities you'd find. There's an oven: a microwave, several cabinets filled with cutlery and cooking utensils, you get the picture.

Everything except ingredients for a proper meal. You want that – You're expected to buy them yourself. Take some initiative.

But, that won't be necessary today. What interests me right this moment is the large refrigerator that's infrequently filled up with instant meals, stuff that can be quickly heated up in the microwave. The purpose of the common room is to provide students a public hangout spot in the dorm itself as well as grant them the means to acquire, store, and prepare food for when the cafeteria's shut. There's a few dotting around but, the one that I'm heading to is meant for first years.

I'm praying that it'll be empty.

"It'll be fine," I whisper to myself. They won't be there. Just go in, nab whatever's in the fridge, heat it up, and leave.

It's as simple as it sounds. For as soon as I peek into the door-less room, I'm gracious enough to find that there's nobody to be found and the fridge in right in plain view. Yes! Target located. Now, let's see if the staff have left anything good in there.

It's not quite as chock-full inside like part of me expected but, it's by no means empty. There are several sticky notes claiming certain pockets of food here and there, but there's still plenty left. Now then, let's see here: Some bottles of water, a few of those won't hurt anyone. Hm, as for lunch itself…

Ah! Instant noodles! Several large cups of instant noodles. Quick couple of minutes in the microwave and they'll be piping hot.

Shuffle.

The cup almost falls out of my hand. My spine straightens as I pull my head out from the fridge. I didn't mishear. I heard it, I'm sure of it.

Someone's in here.

My spine stills. CRDL? No, can't be. If it were any of them, they would've ambushed me already. It's someone else.

Carefully, I take another glance around the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a shade of brown, scurrying deeper behind the arm of one of the sofas, obscuring itself in the tiny space.

"H… hello?" I call out anxiously.

They sniffle, then sigh. A figure stands up from behind the sofa. I turn around to meet them and I'm greeted by chocolate brown eyes. Standing before is a girl, a brunette with hair reaching all the way down her back. She seems a bit older Part of me feels like I've seen her before, but I'm unsure where. I'm inclined to think that it was during one of my classes, but I can't recall seeing her during sparring.

Which is especially odd, considering that she bares long brown bunny ears.

A rabbit faunas. My sudden interest rises fleetingly, as on closer inspection, my intrigue contorts as a gasp escapes my throat.

One of her ears has been bent. I don't think the damage is permanent or anything but, the middle is lying limply like a dangling broken limb. Gazing closely at her eyes, I spot a dabble of wet patches underneath, reaching down to her cheeks.

The girl recoils and covers her ear, averting her eyes. Her knees fidget together. The realization hits me that I've been staring and I wince.

"I-I am so, so sorry," I say, softly as fabric.

She glances back at me, and then away. She stammers meekly, "N-no. It's fine. I-"

A muffled ringtone rings as her pocket begins to vibrate. The girl pulls out her Scroll and visibly chews her lip as she gazes at the screen.

"I… need to go," she tucks her head, making a beeline for the door. I don't stop her. Just briefly, I hear the beginning of her conversation on the phone as her voice disappears down the corridor. "Yatsu? Hi. I'm finished now. Wrong? No. Nothing's wrong-"

I remain, now alone in the common room. Uttering a sigh, I knock knuckles against my forehead.

Her ear. I know it's none of my business to say anything on it, and I technically don't have anything to back it up, but whoever assaulted it had to have wrenched them especially violently in order for it to be misaligned that way. Very violent and incessantly aggressive. No doubt, it was an act of pure unrestrained malice.

That bastard.

My eyebrows furl. I grab a handful of my jeans, fingernails tearing into it. I curse under my breath, "What the hell is wrong with them?"

* * *

"Man. How do they pack these many noodles into these things?" Jaune crows, stirring a forkful of noodles in his cup. "You think it's Huntsman magic? I bet it's Huntsman magic."

"Mm. Maybe," I respond, idly tapping my own. Despite having started about five minutes ago, I haven't taken more than a couple of bites. Between having not eaten and the increased appetite from sustaining my Aura, I should be hungrier than this yet, I can hardly bare to eat any more.

Jaune swallows down, giving me a curious eye, "Something up? You're not eating."

"I'm… not as hungry I thought I'd be," I tell him.

"Huh. That's no good. Hey, do you mind if I…" His eyes trail down to my barely eaten cup. Taking out my fork, I gladly hand it over to him. He glowers, "Thanks, man!" After setting my cup on his side of the desk, he sets off, chomping away in a gleeful fit of slobbery. I smile slightly. This is probably a better use for it anyway. Getting him in a better mood might make this next part easier.

I untwist my bottle and take a sip, gently curdling the water around as I brainstorm how to go about this.

After how rattled he seemed after his encounter in the alley, I thought it better to leave the matter be yesterday, give him a bit of breathing space. Lord knows that the last thing I'd want after something dramatic happening is someone blunderingly screeching, 'Hey! Remember that really shitty thing that happened to you?! Wasn't that really shitty?! It was totally the shittiest of shits, am I right, yah shit?!' No. If I need to this, I need to play it carefully and as thoughtfully as possible.

That being said, watching as he lets out another satisfied gasp, he does seem to be in a cherry mood now.

I suck in my chest, "J-Jaune?"

"Arh?" He looks up, cheeks chubby like a squirrel. He gulps the batch down. "What's up?"

"H… How are you? D-doing. How are you doing?"

He blinks, then says, "I'm alright. Neck's a little itchy, I guess but, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Oh. Th-that's… good. That's good."

That answered a lot, didn't it? Idiot. Try again. This time try touching on a subject related to what happened, then maybe I can manoeuvre the conversation around to it.

"I… take it you didn't find your Scroll?"

"Nah. I checked in the locker-room again on the way back but, no luck. It wasn't at the lost and found, either," he frowns, resting an elbow on the desk. "Looks like I'm going to have to apply for another one."

"Th-that's rough…"

I mentally slap myself upside the head. Stop it. Stop hesitating. This is for his sake, not yours. We need to talk about this. Even if it'll be incredibly… stressful.

"Jaune-"

"No, it's okay. I know what you want to ask," Jaune interrupts. He sets his now empty cup down on the desk.

"Y-you do?" I ask, my sharp voice revealing my surprise. He nods.

"Well, yeah. You're wondering about the ballet outfit, right?" He says. "And just for the record, the shirt was white before I put it in for washing! I swear! Damn elbow pads."

My posture deflates into my seat. That's not at all what I was going to ask, disappointingly. For a second, I thought my tactic had actually worked.

Although… "I'll admit, I am a little curious. I-I mean, I didn't think you were into ballet," I remark. He shakes his head.

"I'm not. At all. Really not at all," he says, face souring. "Actually, I think I might hate it. Do you have any idea how flexible you have to pull half of those moves off? I saw a girl lift her leg around her neck and keep it there for half an hour! It was the scariest yet oddly hypnotising thing I've ever seen in my life!"

I ignore that last part, "That's a shame. You wasted your morning on it, too."

He shrugs, "Eh. It sucked but, I can't say it was a total waste. It was a little fun. The instructor seemed nice, I didn't stink up the place or anything. Probably helped that I learned how to dance before, though. I even learned a few new moves. I can pull a mean splits if I wanted to."

Finding myself curious, I ask him tentatively, "Can you… show me?"

"Sure I can!" He grins pearly whites. Pushing out of his chair, he leans on the sturdiest part of the desk, places a hand underneath his jean covered leg and… puts it back down again.

He chuckles sheepishly, "But I won't. Because I don't hate myself that much."

I choke out a laugh. No, I don't think any guy would like to try that in such a small space. Though, as I sway along with the humour, I feel taken by my exceeding curiosity.

"Heheh. Still, if you don't mind me asking, what made you want to go there in the first place? It… seemed very spur of the moment," I ask. He admitted it himself that ballet didn't interest him, and it's not exactly the most… manly of activities. So, why put himself through it?

Jaune pauses and, seeing his face fall, I feel like I've hit the boundary of what's comfortable to ask him.

"S-sorry. It's your business. I-I shouldn't have asked," I retreat.

"No. It's probably better if you know," he says. Before he begins explaining, he grabs the cup I gave him and drills a mouthful of noodles out and bites in. He swallows, then rests the cup on his knees. "Do you remember what I asked you on Wednesday? In the foyer?"

"About Weiss' fighting style?" I recall. He compared the way she moved during battle to… "Wait. You went there for her?"

He nods, "Yeah. I thought she would've been there. You've seen the way she fights, right? All those flips and twirls? I figured she'd practice it regularly so, I thought she'd go to the Ballet Society." He swirls the fork around the cup absentmindedly before taking another chunk. "She never showed up. I guessed wrong. Big shocker, I know."

"I… sorry. I'm afraid I don't understand. Wh-why would you go there for her?"

"You remember what I told you earlier? About knowing how to dance? I'm not the greatest of all time or anything, I don't even think I'm anything above passable but, well," he smiles sadly. "Passable is probably more than what she thinks I'm capable of."

The realization hits me immediately.

"You were trying to impress her."

His silence confirms it. Needing a moment, he twirls another portion out and chews it slowly. He gulps it down.

"She seriously can't stand me…" he says tiredly. "It's not like she hides it. You heard her at the ceremony, she thinks I'm a waste of space. She doesn't even talk to me unless it's about chores or something menial like that. Heck, she doesn't even have that much faith when I do those. Isn't that sad? She hates my guts. We're partners, and she totally hates my guts."

"Jaune…"

I can't exactly deny him. Weiss wasn't soft when she her feelings of us known before the four of us went onstage but, her words for her partner were undeniably the harshest. I thought it was strange how he just bounced back afterwards.

But, if Jaune understands how little Weiss cares for him, "Th-then… why? I-I understand that c-cooperation within the team is i-important but…" The words come out hesitant as he stares down into the half-empty cup, turning it over idly in his hands. He closes his eyes for a second, breathing tersely through his nose.

"Because I want her respect."

"Wh-what?" I stammer, taken aback. He looks up at me.

"I know she's very… cold, and condescending, and uptight, and pretty pretentious honestly," he says, lips creasing slightly before quickly smoothing out. "But… I think she cares more than she lets on."

He doesn't stammer when he talks, he feels that certain that Weiss isn't so self-centred as she appears yet, I still struggle to believe him. Despite everything that's happened this week, that's all we've known each other for: A week. Hell, not even a week – Six days. How can he be so confident about somebody he's only known for such a short time?

I ask him, "…What makes you so sure?"

He rolls his shoulders, "Dunno. A gut feeling, I suppose? I can't really explain it. I just feel it with people, y'know? It's like a little voice in my head, telling me that there's something there to have faith in."

"Sounds very optimistic," I comment, delicately curving a frown.

He simply shrugs at me, "It's worked alright for me so far. It's not always on the ball but, it's better judge than I am." Jaune scoops up another forkful of noodles. He raises the fork up to his mouth, about to take another bite, when suddenly, he stops. Ruefully, he lowers the fork back into the cup.

"She's going to be a great Huntress someday, I can feel it. She's smart, hard-working, confident, and a talented fighter," he says. A sombre glow tinges his eyes. "She's everything I wish I was."

I wince sympathetically, "Jaune…"

"I have to get her to acknowledge me, Eren. I have to. It's the only way I can…"

He drifts off. A pained expression overcomes him, his fingers crushing the plastic sat in-between them as he stares down into his cup. I can hear his breath terse, as though his chest burned within and that fire soon flares straight to his eyes.

His head snaps up at me. Though it's pointed in my direction, his fiery glare seemed to reflect right back at himself.

"I _need_ her respect."

Facing such a determined proclamation, I dare not look away, the pair of us seeping into silence. Though I fail to understand the value he places in her, and I'd be lying if I said I was truly okay with it, but Jaune's conviction is more than enough to convince me that he truly does. That'll have to satisfy me for now. I don't any have right to tell him what he should want.

Cup to his lips, Jaune readily downs the rest of his meal.

He gasps satisfyingly. "Phew! Jeez, I got really serious there. Killed the mood. My bad," he gladdens.

I shake my head, "N-no. It's fine. I asked." I wave over our empty water bottles and instant noodle cups. "Do you want me to grab another cup? I'm going to get myself another drink, anyway."

He smiles at me, "If you're offering, thanks!"

Collecting all our rubbish together, we have a bin, but the cleaners empty the ones in the common room anyway, I head to the front door when Jaune calls out eagerly.

"Ooh! Grab two, uh no. Three, crap wait." He pauses. "Eight. Eight cups of instant noodles, please!"

I playfully roll my eyes. I doubt there's that many cups for him to eat. For someone not particularly bulky, Jaune's got a bit of an appetite on him, huh?

I take our cups and our empty bottles of water and I make a quick back to the common room. On the way, I muse over everything Jaune had just told me, granting myself the time to think it all over.

Going to the Ballet Society – A society most probably compromised almost entirely of girls, wearing an outfit like that with little indication that you were going to do well, all in an attempt to gain someone else's respect. Crazy. I wouldn't have even attempted going to a dance society in the first place, let alone a ballet one.

While I can't find myself agreeing with who he's trying to impress, I can't help but feel more than impressed myself.

Jaune's… really brave, isn't he?

A trip back and forth to a still empty common room and the pair of us are stocked up again. For the next while, we both fall into a state of ease, chatting about topics that weren't particularly important or consequential. As flattered I am that Jaune was willing to discuss his issues with Weiss with me, I find myself irritated for allowing my curiosity to distract me from the true topic I should've been discussing with him.

Still, after a hefty subject like that, I think it's better if I lay off for a little longer. I don't want to push him too hard. Half an hour's worth of easy-going chatter and then I'll try again. That's my plan, anyway.

That goes out the window the moment Weiss walks through the door.

Her smile, full of pride, drops as soon as she lay eyes on Jaune, trying to sip up a long noodle strand stuck to his cheek. Panic riding him, he hastily sucks it up and puts on an exaggeratedly bright smile.

"W-Weiss, hey!" He waves. "Guess what? I had a shower and the piping didn't explode!"

"Hello Jaune," she sighs exasperatedly, turning her attention to me. Her brow rises expectantly.

O-oh! "H-how did the assessment go?"

She tosses her ponytail proudly, "Absolutely perfect! Unsurprisingly. I should receive my supervisor pass from the academy within the week."

That's good, I suppose. Still haven't read that Dust pamphlet she gave me so, I don't have a clue what this means for the rest of us. My lack of a reaction doesn't seem to bother her though, as she goes to unpack her bag on her bed.

"Supervisor pass? What is she talking about?"

My heart jumps. Jaune looks at me questioningly, my earlier conversation over his exclusion replaying in my head.

Uh…

"Ugh. Who left their clothes lying on the floor?"

Weiss, thankfully, interjects. She points to a crumpled mess, tossed haphazardly in passing thought, composing of a pair of black tights, a pink shirt, and a pair of boxer shorts. Her nose scrunches up irritably.

Jaune leaps up from his chair, explaining nervously, "Ah! That- That was me! It's, uh, what I wore when I went to my Society today." Feeling an opportunity, his composure smoothens into an unrefined 'suave' demeanour. "My, Ballet Society."

"Really," Weiss says flatly.

"Yeah! Yeah. Wasn't anything too difficult. My instructor said that I was quite a natural," he boasts. "I actually learned a few new moves pretty easily. I could totally show you them if you wa-"

"Was the washing basket too far for you to walk?" She chides. Lips curving into a scowl, she stomps over to the basket stored in the corner and drops it in front of him. "Here. Look. It's perfectly functional and scarcely a few feet away from the bathroom. You could've just as easily put it in on the way past but instead, you decided to create more work for yourself later and dirty our dorm floor."

She puts her hands on her hips, prompting him for an answer.

"Uhh…" His retort wains.

"Laziness," she points. "Pure laziness. It's a bad habit and it won't be tolerated on this team. Put your clothes in the washing basket or else you'll be stuck with all the team's future chores from now on. Understand?"

Jaune's bravado dissolves completely. He bites the inside of his cheek, folding his arms.

"Yeah…" He mutters.

"Pardon?"

"Yes. Weiss," he repeats clearly. Weiss glares at him, detecting a hint of indignation in his voice.

"Hmph," she huffs, spinning back to me. "You. Has Blake been given her form, yet?"

Jaune's head snaps up, eyebrows pressing down in confusion.

I fidget, "N-no. She hasn't."

"Typical," she groans.

"What form?" He steps forward, voice gradually becoming firmer.

Weiss continues, ignoring his question, "Have you filled in yours, yet?"

My eyes flicker in agitation. Is she even trying to hide it from him? If so, her attempts at veiling it at especially thin. Are you trying to prove a point with this or something, Weiss?

Jaune queries again, "Hey. What forms are you talking about? Were we all supposed to get forms? Does this have something to do with that supervisor thing you mentioned?" Realization sparks. "Is… Is this a team thing?"

My teeth clunk together.

"It's nothing you have to concern yourself with, Jaune," Weiss dismisses.

"This is a team thing, isn't it?" He continues, undeterred. He draws his perturbed attention to me, "Eren, why didn't you include me, man?"

The hurt on his face, the belief that I willingly excluded him, triggers the hysteria within me. Desperate to disprove, I stammer anxiously, "N-no. Th-this wasn't my-"

"It was my idea."

We both snap towards Weiss, "It's for accessing Beacon Academy's Dust modifying equipment. You obviously would have no such benefit from that access, so I saved us both time and brought only two copies."

"You decided? By yourself?" Jaune says incredulously, "Weiss. Why didn't you tell Eren? He's the leader, isn't he? Shouldn't he be the one making those decisions?"

"There was no need. He's not the leader anymore," she replies with an authoritative smirk. "I am."

"What…?"

"He offered me the position Friday. We both had the same thought, I am much more capable of leading Team LABS and will do so during its future endeavours," she proclaims proudly. "The change isn't official, though. I was planning on telling the whole team formally once Blake acknowledged my position but, here we are."

Jaune's mouth is agape, utterly in disbelief. I intended to tell him about the change, I really did. It's just… With what happened Friday and, trying to figure out how to help him i-it all just slipped my mind. I didn't mean for it to be sprung on him like this.

He looks at me, "You… gave your position away?"

I wince, fingernails stabbing into my palm. He sounds so… hurt by what we've done, more so than when he thought I was excluding him. I don't understand. Maybe confusion was marring his feelings somewhat but, why do I feel like I've betrayed him?

I tear away from him, glancing at the desk.

"No. Wait. Hold one second," Jaune reels back on Weiss. "What do you mean 'When Blake acknowledges?' Were you ever going to ask what I thought about this?"

"I was giving you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you wouldn't have been stupid enough to make the wrong decision," she retorts, the ire in her throat building.

"But not the benefit of trusting that I can make my own choices, apparently," he growls not so-subtly.

The white-haired girl folds her arms, taking her partner's unhidden vexation as some sort of challenge, like an alpha dog about to undermined by one of his lowers. She accepts, sending him back a fixed look.

"Is there an issue here, Jaune?"

A quiet choke delays an immediate response, a hint of reluctance even with all the chagrin boiling within him. She expects him to back down, to yield when confronted with her anger like the several times before, to say he's sorry and accept that this was the way the team worked now.

"…You know what? Screw it. Yeah. There is."

Not this time.

Weiss' eyes perk up in surprise briefly before swiftly regaining her stern glare. She bids him, "Well then? Out with it."

His lips wobble, but Jaune refuses to back down now, "I'm… I'm part of this team too. I know you don't like that, and… that I haven't made the best first impressions."

"You don't say," she says sarcastically.

"But I want to change that. We're partners, Weiss. Like it or not, we're stuck with each other for four years. I don't want-" He points between them. "-this to become normal for us."

"What exactly are you asking from me, Jaune?" Weiss asks, tapping her feet.

"A chance. I just want you to give me a chance to show you that I can be a good partner and teammate. I want you to…" He breathes. "To rely on me. Even just a little bit. That's all."

"Why should I?"

Her blunt request causes Jaune's conviction to jitter.

She narrows, "A purely honest question. Why should I give you that faith? What's earned you that right?"

"I…"

"An example. Please," she goads. "You obviously think you're worth the team's trust, you must have some reason to believe you're fully capable of holding your weight. Tell me how you're worth entrusting our lives in your hands."

Jaune is sullenly silent.

"No answer? Well, allow me to answer in your stead. No. You're not worth it. I meant every word I said to you at the ceremony and I still mean it now. I don't wish to speak ill of Beacon Academy's administrative staff, they're better than that, but allowing you to attend with your lack of ability was a terrible mistake and what I discovered during initiation only solidifies it as such," Weiss scolds.

"I'm…"

"You're a liability," she says coldly. "You're unskilled, uncoordinated and, besides your above average strength, you bring nothing of substance to the team. If we bring you into the field at your level." She glares,

"You'll only get us all killed."

"Gh…!"

Jaune recoils as though he'd been shot. His face crinkles in fear, the ire built up from all of Weiss' belated reveals today crumbling to a pile of rubble. He tries to voice a response, a counter, anything to continue fighting back but all that comes out is a weak dry grunt.

Weiss closes her eyes and sighs. Taking a textbook and jotter out from her bag, she prepares her setup for studying at the spare studying desk.

"You want me to give you a chance?" She says, refusing to look at him. "Give me a reason why I should." Believing everything she needed to say had been said, Weiss opens her books, clicks her pen and begins to study as she has been doing since the semester began.

I gaze up at Jaune, finding him unmoving, almost frozen to the floor. Sticky saliva pins my tongue to my throat, as I watch him.

He continues to stand there, gazing defeatedly at the floor. He tried. He really tried. He confronted her with his desire to gain her respect and it was driven head-first into the ground. I don't understand his need for her respect, I only know that he really wanted it, and I can feel that rejection resonate within me.

Finally moving, Jaune's head tilts up.

Then he makes a beeline for the dorm door.

"Jaune? W-where are you going?" I ask.

"To train," he replies, voice veiled. "And to think."

He shuts door behind him, boots bumping against the corridor carpet. I feel the urge to stand up and chase after him but, I remain seated. I wasn't much help during that whole conversation, I doubt I'd be able help now.

…How stupid of me.

I didn't say a single word during that entire encounter. I sat here, without even voicing a single word of support for him. I didn't know if it were right – If instead of helping I'd only stoke the flames of an already heated conversation. Part of me justified it as 'Voicing their grievances with each other might ultimately help.'

What a load of crap. When has an argument ever resulted in something good happening? You should know that better than anyone.

Damn coward.

The loud scribbling of Weiss' pen bumps me out of my thoughts. I glare at her, studying away peacefully like it's any other uneventful day. None of what he said affected her at all, did it? Why would it?

It's not like it directly affects her or her 'team' now, does it?

"Stop looking at me like that. I'm not the villain here," she grumbles. "Someone has to tell him the truth and it certainly wasn't going to be you."

I glance away from her, trying my best to pat out the flames and pretend as though it didn't exist in the first place. Deciding to distract myself, I grab my jotter and textbook and resume my earlier cover. Probably not going to absorb anything now, though.

"You're aware that we were all lucky to survive our battle against the Nevermore, aren't you?" Weiss says suddenly. I don't look her way.

"…I am," I admit, albeit reluctantly.

"'Luck is unreliable, and it's a cheap escape for those without skill.' Placed into that scenario again, there's no guarantee that any of us would've made it out alive," she says, flipping another page. "We have our first mission in September. We can't assume that our luck from initiation will carry on into it. We must ensure that our team is in peak condition if we are to succeed. That means detecting our weak points as a team and dealing with them appropriately."

She flips another page rather forcefully.

"Jaune is one of those weak points."

The fire in my stomach kindles but is immediately dosed again.

"I assure you, challenging him will benefit us in the long run one way or another," she claims. "If he proves himself sufficiently useful, we'll know that he won't become a burden to us and his performance, both at the Emerald Forest and our Sparring lesson, will be shrugged off."

It sounds so simple, the way she says it. Although she believes him to be completely worthless, she doesn't speak confidently of his failure. It's apathetic, a mere fact. Succeed or fail: It doesn't truly matter to her. She'll find a way to make do, whatever the result tells her.

"…And what would you do if he doesn't?" I ask.

Her scribbling stops ponderously. I glance over, and she stares back at me. Devoid of pomp, she tells me seriously.

"Then he'll be a problem."

* * *

"I-I forfeit…"

I break stance and lower my barrel to the ground. My sparring opponent shrieks an infuriated, 'Are you kidding me?!' as my eyes unconsciously dip to the floor. I tried. Honest to goodness, I kept trying to stop thinking about it, of what would actually happen when I pulled the trigger but…

Miss Goodwitch sucks in a hot batch of air through her nostrils.

"Very well," she sighs.

She taps her Scroll and the screen blankets my name in hazy red defeat. Aware of the several annoyed grumbles from the stands, I trundle back to the locker-room, hiding my ashamed face.

I skip showering, opting to quickly change back into my uniform and stuff my clothes into my schoolbag in a flurry. Even without the threat of CRDL potentially looming over me, spending more time than necessary in here makes me feel anxious. Even changing feels risky. Never liked public changing rooms. At least here there are isolated bath stalls in hide away in.

As I'm putting my equipment away into my locker-room, a weight barges roughly against my back, causing me to yelp and lurch forward.

I spin around. My would've-been opponent from the spar sends me a burning glare. I wither from it like greenery. He huffs and turns, grumbling volatile insults under his breath as he storms back to class.

I sigh. I can't really blame him for being pissed, I completely wasted his time, if not everyone else's.

About a quarter of the class groaned when Goodwitch selected me for a mandatory match. My previous match with Sky has given me a bad reputation when I would've been satisfied with none. Used to be getting into fights that made me feel bad. Now, not fighting at all makes me feel worse. People actively dislike me now. What a way to start your Tuesday morning, right?

I bump my head against the locker door. Stupid. I feel so damn stupid…

I recollect myself, pushing the thoughts away. I make sure that my locker is sealed securely before steadily making my way back to class.

Reaching the top of the spectator stairway, I spot Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang, and our trio of teams clumping together into one big social group. Well, somewhat social.

Ruby is the first to notice me approach. Putting on a comforting smile, she waves and calls to me, "H-hey, Eren!"

Beside her, Pyrrha turns and greets me politely, "Welcome back."

I give them both a small smile before glancing up at Yang, positioned herself a level above Ruby and Pyrrha alongside the rest of her team.

She's donning an ill-befitting serious face and eying me very pointedly. Our talk from Friday rings in my head. I avert my gaze before fidgeting with my hoodie hood, pretending to never have looked.

Ruby blinks at me but, I don't think she noticed. Her lips thin sympathetically but I just shrug. "It… wasn't going to happen today." I keep my voice sombre but, I hold back any intensity it would've had if left unhindered. As much as I don't want any of them to fret over me, pretending that forfeiting a match and failing to successfully spar against someone was fine would've only made them more concerned.

Besides, I'm not the one people should be concerned about.

Jaune's sitting on the highest row, two levels above Ruby and Pyrrha. His head is down, fingers interlaced with one other as his boots chap, chap, chap against stone. He's staring very intently down at the floor.

I bite my cheek. While I wouldn't say he's been aloof exactly, his behaviour since his talk with Weiss has been less cheery and happy-go-lucky. He's also been spending less time available, almost immediately heading off alone for training once free period hits. Sparse doesn't begin to describe it.

I sigh. At least he's still sitting with us, I peer over my shoulder.

Blake's seated at the opposite end of the classroom, idly flipping through another one of her books. She's not even bothering to sit with us anymore. It seems like every day that passes the amount we see lessens and lessens: There's class mornings and lectures of course but, other than that, she's the team's spectre.

To say Weiss is miffed might be underplaying it a tad, shock and horror. I'm only hoping things will get better between them before it gets worse.

Distance like this… It's not good for the team.

I take a seat right next to Ruby as she watches the ongoing fight, enraptured in the chaotic clash of stainless steel and smoking shotgun shells. I observe the two fighters pensively as they barrel into one-another with little abandon for well-being, their opponents and their own. It's perturbing, honestly. Without their Aura, it'd be like watching two grizzled Vikings in a blood-soaked battle to the death.

How can they both be so certain this is safe? How can any of these people be so confident? Not even MMA fights are so candidly vicious.

I heave, pulling my head back to relax my posture. Jarringly, it touches something. Not the floor, it's too soft and I'm not stricken by instant pain or anything. That's… new. Soft is definitely new. I peer over my shoulder-

Thigh. Bare thigh. Back of bare thigh. Back of bare thigh and skirt! Back of bare thigh belonging to girl lying down!

Danger! Away! Look away, damn you! Keep all eyes to yourself, you total dipshit!

I swerve, pulling my hood down and pulling it down tight, obscuring my cherry-red face and incessant spluttering from view, "I-I am so, so sorry! I didn't mean to bother you! It was a mis-"

A snore drones.

"…Take?" I blink. With an air of caution, shielding my right eye with my hood, I turn around to look properly at the girl.

A scruffy patch of plum hair is lying down on a puffy pillow, a low humming snore gurgling from her mouth, synchronizing with her rising and falling chest like a squeaky dog toy. It's her again, the narcoleptic girl. Yang's partner. Seems like she can sleep just about anywhere. I'm surprised Miss Goodwitch is letting her get away with sleeping in class. Definitely wouldn't have been allowed back home in P.E. The teacher would've cannibalized her before that happened.

It's just now, however, that I notice she's wearing a long pair of biking shorts under her skirt. N-not because I wanted a look or anything! I-i-it just caught my eye.

It… seems like she knew something like this would've happened. Guess some people just have that kind of foresight.

I retract my hood and breathe a little easier. This lasts roughly five seconds.

Shoes shuffle around the plum girl's sleeping frame, coming to a stop right behind me. Soles clamp the ground as she sits at the very edge, centimetres away from my left ear. The… closeness is familiar, I can tell it's her before she whispers.

"We need to talk."

I suck in a breath, tugging at my cuffs. Of course. It was written on her face. Yang's not the type to let things simply lie. Though, if she's upset about Friday, I'm perplexed as to why she hadn't brought it up sooner.

"If it's about what happened on Friday, I'm-"

"It's not about that. It's about you," she narrows.

"And CRDL."

My skin goes icy cold. A sea of icicles stabs me in the stomach, and a chill hand grabs me by the throat. I stare up at her, my mouth numbly agape. She's not looking away. She's staring right back at me. Every second she refuses to back away causes my freezing body to seize tighter and tighter. I don't think I'm breathing.

She knows.

She knows!

 _She knows!_

"Alright, we still have time for a few more bouts. Does anyone wish to volunteer for the next fight?"

Miss Goodwitch's booming voice shatters my frozen body. I snap around, pumping air into my lungs to ensure they're working. This is a brief reprieve. My turn's come and gone, thankfully. I… I need to use this time to think. Think of a way to get myself out of this. My brain is in a flux. How the hell did she find out about them?!

"I'm game!"

A towering figure stands up, grin full of bluster, and I shrink further into my seat.

Miss Goodwitch fiddles her glasses into place. "Cardin Winchester? Alright. Does anyone wish to challenge Mister Winchester?"

Most of the students don't move a budge, either idly playing with the Scrolls or simply pretending they didn't hear the question. I tilt my head slightly but, not at their reluctance. Now that I'm properly looking at them all, is it just me or does the arena seem a bit… lacking in numbers? The first lesson, we had the full forty packed in. Now, I doubt that the maximum attending is anything higher than thirty-five…

Cardin leaps up from his seat to the front in clear view, raising his arms to beckon any challengers.

"Come on!" He roars. "Whose got the balls?! I'll take you all on!"

" _Less_ of that, Mister Winchester, thank you," Goodwitch scolds harshly.

Yang shoots straight up from her seat, baring an intense scowl on her face. I feel the rising temptation to jump up and drag her back down, but my barely functioning tells me that wouldn't do anything to dissuade her. All I can do is silently beg her not to make this into anything more than it is.

Pyrrha also stands with her, eyebrows furling in determination. Cardin eyes her in particular and smirks.

Several other combatants begin to stand, some slower than others. It's few, about four or five, not a whole lot to select from. Miss Goodwitch seems ready to pick a student when all of a sudden…

Murmuring. Lots of murmuring. I think I heard someone gasp. My pupils dart around the room, scanning for whatever's causing such a disturbance. I follow everyone's trained sight behind me and…

Oh.

Oh god, no.

Jaune. Jaune's standing up. I can see his shoulders trembling horribly, but he's standing. What is he doing? Why is he standing?

What the hell is he doing?!

Cardin's face falls immediately. He's glaring deathly at Jaune, as though the act alone was a personal insult. He's even ignoring Pyrrha now, the girl he vowed to 'dethrone.'

Miss Goodwitch taps his Scroll, "Hm… I believe I saw Miss Xiao Long stand up fir-"

"No. I want to take on Arc," Cardin interrupts. His voice is almost painfully cold and emotionless, like he's keeping his unkempt rage bubbling inside of him. He grits, "If he wants a fight, I'm more than up to give him one."

Goodwitch gives him a look but, nevertheless, she prompts Jaune, "Mister Arc?"

He doesn't say anything, he keeps shaking. He's petrified, I can see it. He doesn't want this fight. He doesn't need to go this far.

Jaune. Please. Sit down. You don't need to do this. I'll…

I'll figure something out. I'll talk with Weiss. I'll handle CRDL. I- I'll do something. Just… Just don't! He's too strong!

 _He'll destroy you!_

"Y… Yeah. I want to spar against Cardin."

Damn it, no! _This isn't how it's supposed to be!_

"…Very well. If you both insist. Both of you head down to the changing rooms," Goodwitch taps her Scroll and both portraits of Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester oppose each other. Much to my horror, it's made official. "Your match is next."

* * *

 **A/N:** And we're back! Very sorry to all who were waiting, I'm very grateful for your patience and I'm hoping to increase my update rate over the summer.

Another dialogue heavy chapter, this one. The Eren/Jaune conversation was a complete pain to write, there was so much I wanted to pack into it but, ultimately I felt it just made the whole thing drag. I'm tired of dialogue. I'm so happy to get back to fight scenes after this.

Granted, I'm sending Jaune to his death in order to get it but, eh. It was bound to happen eventually. The next chapter's not going to be particularly long so, I'm hoping to have that out fairly quickly in comparison to the previous chapters thus far.

As always, thank you all very much reading and if you have any thoughts on the story so far, good or bad, be sure to share them in the reviews. Constructive criticism in encouraged.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 – A Boy's First Stand**

After the combatants leave to prepare for their duel, the wait for their inevitable return begins. Noisy voices ring throughout the sparring hall as the once steadfastly peaceful classroom descends into a raging rampant ruckus.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"Did you see the look on Cardin's face? Dude was pissed."

"Boy, am I glad I'm not the one fighting him."

"His name's Jaune, right? Jaune Arc? Wasn't he the guy who got in, like, no offense in Friday's class?"

"You mean the one who ran away the whole time?"

"Nah, man. The other one. The swordsman who spent the whole match flailing around like a jackass while the other guy turned him into the world's largest pincushion."

"Oh, yeah! That was him! Wow, he's going to get demolished!"

Hushed whispers, bemused scoffing, and even a few bouts of laughter here emit sparsely from my commenting classmates, bewildered completely by the fact the fighter with one of the most underwhelming performances from last week had willingly challenged the fighter with one of the most impressive. They're all reacting as if a mouse had leaped into a lion's den.

And I hear them all. An oil well of anxiety drills deeper into my gut with every word spoken, the exclaiming voices overwhelming my thoughts like a circling whirlpool. My leg hasn't stopped jittering since Jaune left.

Damn it.

I shouldn't listen, logic's telling me acutely that nothing they say is going to help but, I can't stop myself. They're all vocalizing how I feel in one form or another. It's like they're all throwing a distorted version of my feelings straight back into my face. Frustration gnaws at the openings like ravenous piranhas.

Damn it!

Why? Why did you have to stand up? Why did you have pick this fight? Why did Cardin have to accept? Why didn't I do anything to stop it?! Why?!

 _Damn it!_

"Hey."

The girl a row above lightly prods me in the shoulder. My mind jolts, reminded of the other problem smacking me in the face today.

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Yang asks. Her tone's coated knowingly, aware that I know fully why events transpired as they did.

I briefly tilt up at her, enough to let her know that I'm not ignoring her but I… decide to stay quiet. It's as I told her before; It's not my story to tell so I shouldn't. I haven't even told Jaune that I know yet, it's practically his secret; I can't be passing it around to other people like a cheap smoke.

Aware that she wasn't getting an answer, she narrows, "They're going after him too, aren't they?"

My chest seizes, only to realize that my static body language unintentionally confirmed her suspicions when it's too late. She breathes and lies back somewhat, "Thought so. They had something to do with happened on Friday, right? Figured that the two were connected somehow."

…I clench my jeans frustratedly. Come on already, Eren! It's bad enough you're terrible at hiding your own problems, couldn't you at least be halfway reliable at hiding somebody else's?!

I bottle myself a lovely supply of regret for later. Sighing, I ask, "How did you find out?"

"About them? I have my ways. I'm no Brainiac or anything but, I'm very persistent when I want to be," she gleams proudly, but her pride passes quickly. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped. You didn't really expect me to just leave it alone, did you?"

Of course, I didn't. I've lived with her in the same house for nearly half a year. It was painfully obvious to me how she'd react. This isn't what I wanted. She wasn't supposed to find out like this. She wasn't supposed to find out at all. That's why I…

"Leave what alone?"

Shock sparks my spine. I start, snapping around to find soft silver eyes staring unsettled at me.

"R-Ruby!" I stammer. "W-we were, um, we were both talking about, uh…"

Words fumble from my mouth. My mind's completely muddled up, trying painfully to juggle everything. I don't know exactly how long she has been listening in for, but it's long enough to make a bad situation worse.

A grimace pulls at my lips as Ruby's worry visibly deepens.

I glance back at Yang, attempting to 'subtly' plea to back me up with a gentle nudge in her sisters direction, hoping that there's a chance that she didn't want to wrap her sister up in my mess. To my dismay, Yang scowls disapprovingly and folds her arms.

"You need to tell her," she says.

I bite my cheek, withholding a groan. Admittedly, I didn't truly expect it to work but, man, do I not want this conversation to happen right now and I just want a little bit of control in this conversation, please!

"This is about what happened, isn't it? Something is going on, isn't there?" Ruby asks, face softening as she leans in closer. "Eren, what is it? What's wrong? Is someone targeting you? Please, tell me!"

"N-no! Ruby, nothing's happening. Everything's fine. I-I swear," I splutter and wave around my hands. This does very little dissuade her, leaning in so closely that her legs have moved dangling to fully kneeling against the seating.

"I know you're not okay," she says. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I want to help."

"Eren. If you don't tell her, I will," threatens Yang, barring over as though to entrap me.

If she's doing it on purpose, her tactics working. The lack of personal space between myself and the pair of them is suffocating me. I can literally feel the air ensnared between my throat and the deprived lungs. There's no space on the end of the seat to shift away to. I'm well and truly trapped.

Careless. I've been so damn careless. This never should've made it past day one. It's not like I haven't done it before or anything, I should've known better.

Now Yang knows. Now Ruby's bound to know. Now they're both going to know. The two people on Remnant that I absolutely didn't want to know anything this whole situation are going to know and they're going to try and help because, of course, that's what they do. They'll try to fix everything for me and that's. My. _Fault._

…No. I can't let that happen. I have to do this myself.

Time. I need to buy for time. Everything's coming at me all at once here. I need to try and take things one at a time: calm down, think of a way to solve this mess, and not screw it up this time. Then everything will be fine. Understand?

Everything will be fine.

I suck in a breath.

"Not now," I say. They both open their mouths to protest but I'm quick to follow up. "After. I'll tell you after class, I promise. Just, please. I'd rather not talk about this here."

Neither of them appear comforted by my answer, but they're not immediately shutting me down which is honestly better than what I thought I would get. The two give each other a look, as if silently conversing their thoughts with the other while I sit, tapping away anxiously, waiting for their reply.

Finally, they answer.

"…Okay," Ruby nods.

"Fine," Yang says. Her tone is somewhat dissatisfied but, it lacks severity it held earlier. "But we're going to hold you to that. You're going tell us everything once this is over. Got it?"

I exhale, nodding with an heir of reluctance, but also with an air of relief finally pumping through to my lungs.

The end of class – Roughly thirty minutes. That'll be my time limit to think of a way to compel them to stay out of the business with CRDL. I have absolutely no idea how the hell I'm going to twist any of this to work but, it has to be better than if I had to explain everything now.

Hopefully. It's not like I'm grasping at straws here or anything. No, of course not. What would give me that impression?

…Whatever. The explanation can wait. Right now, I should focus on the immediate problem at hand here.

Speaking of which, "That's them."

Cardin comes out first, strolling out from the entranceway with his mace resting on his shoulder and his smile full of confidence, totally unconcerned about the result of the coming match. He's behaving no differently from when he fought the bronze warrior – A fight in which he demolished. Though, despite the similarities, there is one glaring difference between then and now.

He's holding his mace in his right hand.

I shouldn't find it that strange, it just means he's ambidextrous. Louise is ambidextrous too and it hasn't bothered me since I was seven. Warriors are fully capable of using both hands. It's uncommon but, not unordinary. What makes this so weird in comparison?

I'm honestly not so sure. I'm no expert in fighting style posture but, I can feel that something about the way he's holding it doesn't fit. It's hard to put it into words.

It just feels, I dunno, wrong.

Jaune trails somewhat after, head down. At first, I think that he's staring at the ground but, he's actually shuffling his grip on sword and shield. I'm unsure if his positioning with his shield is right but, I recognise the grip on Crocea Mors as the same Blake taught him back on the bridge.

He's… shaking, almost quivering. He's looking worse than he did when he accepted the fight. His face's trying to hide all the fear behind a brave façade but, I'd wager nobody in the classroom is buying it.

Jaune's terrified. I don't blame him one bit.

Now, what are you going to do about this, Liddell?

A few taps on Professor Goodwitch's Scroll and the overhead screen illuminates their pictures and their full Aura bars.

The two combatants stand opposed from one another.

"Are both fighters ready?" Miss Goodwitch calls. Cardin laughs out a 'Sure' while Jaune stutters a 'Y-Yes!'

I spare a quick glance at his legs, recalling what Pyrrha told me right before Cardin's previous fight. He's slightly leaning forward, one leg further than the other, feet pressed hard against- Oh crap. He's going to try and charge him as the match starts. Break through his terror by hurling himself straight into battle.

I wince. Don't do that, Jaune. The last guy who fought Cardin made the exact same mistake. He's expecting it. You're walking straight into a counter!

"Very well then." The Professor steps back and the murmuring crowd quietens. Cardin leans casually against his mace. Jaune's form torques.

The dreaded horn blares.

"Begin!"

The fight kicks off exactly as I feared: Jaune charging straight out of the gate with his sword raised up high to swipe at Cardin. His grasp on his hilt loosens, his strike turns recklessly predictable, and his emulated fighting stance dissipates entirely.

He swings.

Cardin swats Crocea Mors out of his hands with insufferable ease. I wish I could feign shock.

Jaune's weaponless, and still carrying momentum from the charge, a clear opening given away. He tries to skid, to raise his shield but it's misaligned. Cardin can easily bypass it. He-

He does nothing. Cardin lets the opportunity pass him without a single care.

That's… curious.

Jaune stops right in front of him, gazing up at his taller opponent in fearful confusion. Cardin smirks and nudges his head in Crocea Mors direction.

'Fetch.'

An agitated hiss whistles through my teeth.

Regardless, Jaune rushes to Crocea Mors, plucking the sword off the ground, and resuming his stance.

Cardin's… just standing there, mace aloft his shoulder. He's not even looking in Jaune's direct, staring off into nowhere and smiling, leaving himself almost completely open. It's the same tactic as before again, baiting in his opponent with projected weakness before counter-attacking. This is the third time I've seen him do this, a common strategy when dealing with offensive-inclined fighters. Reminds me of a couple of chess players back home.

Unfortunately, Jaune doesn't give it that much thought.

"Hyaah!" He shouts, hurling himself at his opponent again, pushing all of his bodyweight into his next attack. He races forward.

A swing!

 _Clang!_

Steel clashes against steel. Jaune bites the bait and guns for the opening granted but Cardin, expectant, laxly deflects the swordsman away. Jaune's momentum continues to carry him forward, having overextended himself with the strike. The towering giant sidesteps him and raises his mace for a strike.

Cardin lightly bumps Jaune on the head.

What?

A trickle of Aura fades from Jaune's bar but, nobody is fooled. That wasn't a real hit. That blow was the equivalent of a rough pat on the head, and Jaune is fully aware of it. He knows that Cardin could've hit him harder.

His frustration comes in a flurry of reckless slashes. Crocea Mors flails endlessly at Cardin who bypasses the bombardment through blocking the strikes aloofly or merely moving slightly to avoid them. He bumps Jaune on the head several more times like he's playing a Whack-a-mole game, each lightly draining his Aura.

By the point Jaune's bar reaches ninety-six percent, his carelessness and wasteful sword placing drives him to yell and attempt to stab Cardin directly.

The attack never forms. With his free hand, Cardin grabs Jaune's hoodie and wrenches it over his face, leaving his opponent momentarily disorientated and struggling to see. Then, unlike his previous attacks, Cardin takes his mace and properly belts him straight across the face with it.

Jaune falls hard. His Aura dips to eighty-eight percent. Cardin's hasn't lost a single digit.

"This… isn't looking good," says Ruby. "Cardin doesn't even look like he's trying."

"He isn't. Do you see the way his arm's positioned?" Pyrrha says, directing our attention to it and suddenly, it begins to click. The bend in his elbow, the contortion of the arm, the seemingly slower flow of the attack in general? "That's not how a right-handed mace wielder naturally holds their weapon. That's self-taught."

He's not ambidextrous at all. The fighting style he's currently using is an imitation of actual right-handed fighters. It's a good imitation and it's not totally devoid of skill or anything but, his body isn't used to fighting that way naturally. He's prominently left-handed.

Which means he's been using his weaker hand this whole fight…

Jaune, having barely recovered, stands back up, yells, and throws himself an overhead vertical slice. His opponent sees the attack coming a mile away.

The arena echoes as sword and mace lock together, the two combatants inside now locked in a test of strength. Jaune huffs and puffs but, no matter how hard he struggles, cannot push any further. Cardin's holding his free hand on his waist, standing still as his weapon barely even shudders from the opposing weight. You could tell him a gentle breeze is hitting him and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"He's toying with him," growls Yang. "Tch! Where does he get off?! Does he enjoy humiliating people or something?! Is he trying to prove a point? Just what is wrong with him?!"

…To prove a point? Cardin's using Jaune to prove a point?

No. That can't be right.

 _"When I'm through with you, nobody's going to forget me for a very long time. Your 'invincible' streak is over, Pyrrha Nikos."_

Yeah. It was Pyrrha he originally wanted to topple, wasn't it? The way his face lit up when she stood up to challenge him? The way he spoke to her, it seemed like he might've recognised her from somewhere. He even beat his opponent faster than her afterwards. Cardin knows she a good fighter and is purposely trying to outdo her and prove his superiority as a fighter. He wanted to fight her.

So, why did he pick Jaune? Just to abuse him again? That's what he's doing, but why? He finds ample opportunity to do that and beating him in a fight proves nothing anyway. Why demean him here where everyone-

Where everyone can see him do it.

"That's it," I gasp. "That's why he chose him."

Yang blinks, "Say what?"

When I think harder about it, Sky doing what he did during our fight seemed too reckless. Risking the discretion of their bullying aside, being so brash as to do it in front of a teacher of all people doesn't check out as an optimal time to abuse someone. Being caught by other students is one thing but, being caught by the head of the Disciplinary action department?

That's beyond arrogance, that's stupid. Hell, thanks to that, everyone around me started to figure out something was going on. He just made it harder for his team to keep everything hush-hush. It's pointless. There were no upsides to Sky doing it so publicly as he did.

Unless, there was.

Think. Room full of people. Everyone in class watching. Trying to humiliate victim in front of them. Why would they resort to that?

Bent bunny ears flood through my mind and the horrible answer floats to the surface. If that girl is being targeted just like us…

Cardin's not fighting him. He's trying to make a bloody example out of him!

A knee to the abdomen empties Jaune's lungs. Cardin flicks his wrist, ridding his opponent of his shield, flooring him as the swordsman struggles desperately against the mace interlocked with Crocea Mors.

Jaune's on his back, gasping for air like a water-deprived fish. He tries to battle back with both hands pushing up but it's no use. Cardin's strength is overwhelming him and he's having to fend against him and his breathless lungs at the same time. He's helpless.

Just like Cardin thought he would be.

No. This can't keep going like this. If this continues, not only is CRDL going to successfully intimidate others in our class they may be targeting but Jaune, the reason he stood in the first place…

Weiss.

I turn around and gaze up at her. Her eyelids narrow squarely on her Scroll, fingertips dotting and lips curling into a disinterested scowl. The sight causes my own mouth to mimic hers, and a burning feeling begins to boil in my gut again.

Has she even glanced away since the match started? Does she even remember why it started in the first place? Does she even care?! Come on!

Jaune took this fight for you. He wanted to prove to you he was worth a chance, he values your opinion that much. So much that, even though the gap between them was so obvious and he's absolutely terrified of him, he decided to try and take him on. Cardin could make his life even worse because of this. He's taking a risk I wouldn't have.

All for you and your respect, Weiss Schnee. All for you. The very least you could do in return is look away from that damn Scroll and _maybe give a single solitary shit!_

I whirl away, trying to beat down the blaze boiling within. Forget it. Forget her. I have to do something.

How, though? I can't just stop the match now. That wouldn't be any different from if I left it alone. Right now, there's only one person that can make a difference in this bout and he's fighting with everything he's got down there.

And he needs to know that right now.

But… that's not allowed here. Goodwitch gave a stern lecture about how sparring matches are a serious method of training and not a spectator sport. That's why everyone else is so subdued. If I spoke out now, I'd earn myself a special seat at one of her detention sessions, punished and made to look like a complete arse in front of the whole class as everyone derides me for being a total idiot! E-everyone. Everyone would…

Screw them. He's my friend.

I leap up, bounding from my seat, clasp the railing tightly and shout out.

"Jaune!" I cup my mouth. "Yo-you have to win!"

"E-Eren?!" I hear Ruby squeak behind me, eyes widening in shock.

Not only her: Yang, Pyrrha, Jaune, Cardin, Miss Goodwitch, everyone, every single person in the room have their sights gleaning on me, taken aback by my sudden outburst. The murmuring, the annoyed glances, the attention…

Damn. I'm shaking again. Come on, Eren. You're already up here, there's no sitting down now. We have to go all the way!

"I-I know you're scared, b-but you can't lose! Not like this! I…" I hesitant momentarily. "You have to win!"

The words fumble around in my throat. It's… not exactly the most stirring of speeches, I'll admit. I can barely talk properly half of the time normally, and I didn't have enough time to think up something a bit more inspirational.

I catch Jaune staring at me, still pinned against the floor, and my hands drop awkwardly to my sides.

I swallow. Is this even working? Am I doing anything here?

"Yeah!"

Red flutters to my right, cheering on loudly, "Come on, Jaune! You're representing Team LABS! Show that chump who's boss!"

Ruby…

"Damn straight! Come on, Vomitboy!"

Yellow gleams from my left, hollering, "Beat the smug outta him! Knock his teeth down his throat! Tear out his hair! Kick his balls into the stratosphere!"

Yang…

Both of them cheer loudly, egging Jaune to 'Stand back up' and 'Kick that guy a new butt!' As my confidence wavered, they came to my side to support me, to support my teammate. Despite feeling as though I'm troubling them, I can't help by feel reinvigorated by them chorusing his name.

My chest lightens, and I begin to cheer alongside them.

Shockingly enough, Professor Goodwitch hasn't immediately shut us down yet. Instead, she merely glances up at us, something tugging slightly at her lips. I don't know what she's thinking right now, but she's not stopping us yet. So, we keep cheering, harder and louder.

And then, Crocea Mors begins to push back.

The blade shudders and quakes but, gradually, Cardin's mace loses ground and dominance, slowly being forced off from the prone Jaune. Slowly, slowly, slowly…

Away! With a growl and a draining but powerful shove, the lockup breaks. Cardin shuffles backwards a tad, glancing down at his right-hand with an irked sniff.

Jaune stands, panting hard but holding Crocea Mors tightly in both hands, defiant.

He seems calmer. Not calm per say but, accepting, at peace with what he's chosen to do. There's still a tremor in his limbs but, he doesn't seem regretful. If anything, he seems kind of determined, as though fuelled by the challenge ahead of him instead of cripplingly fearful. No more second guessing. No more doubts.

I've never seen Jaune like this before.

"Y-you're…" He huffs then glares. "Gonna have to do better than that!"

With a roaring war cry and feet thundering against the floor, Jaune bounds straight back into the fray with his spirit emblazed.

Yes! That's done it!

"Aw yeah! You go, Jaune!" Rallies Ruby.

"Knock his block off, Vomitboy!" Yells Yang.

Sparks crackle as a spree of rapid-fire sword-swings crash against mace. The accuracy of his swings hasn't exactly improved any, but the speed, the rate, the onslaught of flailing steel is still unmatched compared to how he was before. There are stray strikes still, but for every overreaching swing or deflected blow, Jaune's quick to raggedly rebound and relentlessly slam into his opponent once again.

The clashing sounds of their weapons is ear-splitting.

"Look at him!" Says a giddy Ruby. "He's all fired up now! He even said something kinda cool sounding!"

"It hasn't really done his swordplay any good, though," comments a less impressed Yang. "Eh. Maybe it'll hurt like hell when it finally hits."

Hm. She does have a point. Despite the second-wind his opponent's gotten, Cardin's bar hasn't moved an inch. All of Crocea Mors attacks aren't making purpose with the man himself, only his mace and from the looks of things, he hasn't imbued it with his Aura either.

Nor has he attempted to mount a counter-attack. Is he waiting? Biding his time for his opponent to tire? Odd. No disrespect to Jaune or anything but, with those reckless strikes of his, Cardin could easily counter him at any moment. He knows how.

Why isn't he? Why is taking this tactic with him?

"Hey Yang," starts Ruby. "Why does Cardin have a block? And why do we want Jaune to knock it off?"

"His head's the block," replies Yang.

"His head's a block?! Woah!" The younger sister gasps in passing surprise. "Huh. Weird. It doesn't look like a block. It looks more like two mountains crushed together."

"No, Ruby. It's a figure of speech. His head isn't litera-" The older sisters stops, pauses for a moment, and then shrugs. "You know what? Yeah, no. Crushed mountains. I can roll with that."

Hm. That's… certainly a description for it. I suppose his chin is rather craggy?

Ruby leans over the railing and cups her mouth, "Fall on your face, crag-face!"

Cardin's eyes flicker irritably in her direction, snarling as he considering yelling at us for a brief instant.

In that brief instant, he stops paying attention to Jaune.

And it costs him.

 _Slash!_

A stunning hit, carved straight down from shoulder to chest in one solitary powerful chopping motion. It's a manoeuvre completely unlike every other slash Jaune had swung before, fully capitalized by the momentary distraction. Cardin stumbles back, hand snapping up to the struck area, his mouth painfully agape as he stares straight at his opponent.

Everyone in the arena stops breathing, in sheer disbelief at what just happened. I glance at the Aura bar, its once full bar dropped down to ninety-one percent, confirming to everyone that what just happened indeed happened.

He hit him.

He actually hit him.

Jaune hit Cardin!

The significance isn't lost on the man himself. A burning fury engulfs his face, melting away his leathery composure. He looked down on Jaune, took him for an easy win, didn't expect anything from him whatsoever. He tried to turn him into some screwed-up statement maker for him and he ate his first hit for his troubles. With that strike carried a message.

'I'm not going to go down that easily.'

An understanding casts over on Cardin's features. A familiar cast of dread bares down on me. He rolls his shoulder…

And tosses his mace into his left hand.

The air in the room shifts completely as, for the first time since the match started, Cardin takes the initiation and guns straight for Jaune.

Reeling, Jaune raises Crocea Mors to block but, with a single strike, the blade is batted across the arena and clatters against one of the faraway walls. He topples over, unable to stand against the sheer force. Unarmed and fully aware of the impending brutality, the knight spots his discarded shield nary a few feet away and scurries towards it. He snatches it up.

 _Bash!_

The mace hammers into the shield, hard enough to break an arm. From the agonized yell coming erupting from Jaune, it sounds like it would've. His Aura dips down to eighty-one, despite blocking the attack.

Another blow rains down him, sending him stumbling back. Seventy-four.

Another. Sixty-eight.

Another. Sixty-two.

Another. Another. Another! Cardin has completely foregone any forethought or predation in his aggression, his once purposeful strikes now nothing more than brutish wailing. Jaune's defence isn't solid, he could easily bypass it, but he doesn't care enough to. Out goes his brain: In comes mindless brutality.

He's lost it.

Jaune's… not holding up so well. Every shrapnel splitting strike is pure agony for him, a bombardment of endless wrecking-ball grade blows bashing him back onto the floor constantly. There's no opportunity to attack: to counterattack, to retreat, to even think. A direct hit to sends him back first against the arena wall, pincering him between both it and Cardin.

Now he's truly stuck.

The blows rain down again. Again. Again. Again! Each with the additional searing pain of having his silhouette embedded into the wall. Jaune isn't even allowed time to rest anymore, to fall down for a moment's reprieve.

This… this is horrid. It's savage. This is no different from a damn Beowolf attack, just let it end already! Please!

 _Stop hurting him, you bastard!_

Cardin finally stays his hand, glancing up at the board. Jaune's Aura is at twenty-three percent, mere metres away from hitting critical and ending the fight. Smirking, proud at 'avenging himself,' he eases up and steps back, allowing Jaune to 'fall before him.'

But Jaune doesn't fall. His foot, almost subconsciously, skids out to stabilise him. It's shaky, certainly worn and weak yet, somehow, it still has the power to hold him up.

His breath comes out in rags as he holds onto his shield with every last amount of zapped strength he has left. It's taken everything out him to keep up that defence the entire time but, still, he's refusing to simply fall down and call it quits.

Cardin's proud smirk disappears completely, smothered by a fuming rage.

He puts both hands on his mace hilt, winds up the mace behind his head and roars at him.

"Stay the hell _down!"_

He swings!

The horn blares.

"That's enough!"

The mace stops dead, millimetres away from connecting with Jaune's shield, as we all turn to a stone-faced Professor Goodwitch.

"This match is over. Cardin Winchester is the winner."  
Making it official, Goodwitch taps on her Scroll and a green and red hue coat Cardin's and Jaune's names respectively.

I… guess that's it then. The match is really over.

"What?!" Cardin shouts indignantly, spinning on the Professor. "No! Are you kidding me?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm doing what any sensible person would do, Mister Winchester," she replies evenly. "Had I left you both be, Mister Arc ran the risk of being seriously injured. Thus, I made the decision to stop the fight."

"What the hell?! That wasn't in the rules. You can't do that!"

Despite the heat behind them, his words do raise the question that Ruby vocalises for us, "Is that not allowed?"

"I don't recall her mentioning it," I admit.

"I'd argue it is," Pyrrha speaks up, prompting us three to turn to her. "The rules of which our spars are based on are the exact same used by the most prominent fighting circuit in Vale, which employ referee stoppages into their matches. There had been several cases of combatants suffering severe in-match injuries plaguing the circuit for years."

Her face winces in remembrance, "It took one fighter almost suffering a fatal neck injury before it was finally implemented."

Yang hisses, as if to share Pyrrha's pain, "Geez. Never thought the professional circuit was such a war-zone. It's probably better she stopped the fight then."

I gaze down at Jaune, watching as he wobbles away from the wall as though his limbs are wriggling back into their sockets. His Aura should be taking care of the pain right about now. Had the fight been allowed to continue as it did…

"Y-yeah…" I nod along with Yang before turning to Pyrrha. "You sure know a lot about professional fighting rings, Pyrrha."

"A-ah. I'm just an avid fan, that's all," she replies. For a split second, it seemed like her eyes bulged. That's… curious.

"Look!" Cardin shouts from below, still arguing with Professor Goodwitch with his mace pointing towards the screen. "We've still got a minute left! He still has Aura! This fight is nowhere near over!"

"It is, and I say it is. There's nothing to be gained from continuing this fight. Take the victory, Mister Winchester," the teacher replies, a hint of irritation seeping into her voice.

"Victory?!" He balks, as if to hurl. "This isn't a victory. I haven't won crap! I am not winning because of a bullshit technicality!"

The younger man storms straight towards her, the tiles beneath rumbling with every step. He squares up to her, puffing up his chest like a lion, and audaciously bears down on her domineeringly as he screams in her face.

"Restart the fight! Now!"

"Don't you _dare_ take that tone with me, Cardin Winchester!"

Goodwitch doesn't take his hostility kindly, easily measuring up to her student with a height even more impressive than Pyrrha's. Her features harden like refined steel as her crop rests threateningly underneath Cardin's chin.

"I don't know if the teachers at your previous combat academy accepted it, but that kind of attitude will not be tolerated here at Beacon Academy and we have a very thorough disciplinary department to make certain it isn't," she growls, verbally smacking the younger boy down. "Am I making myself very clear?"

The intensity in Cardin's eyes dissipates quickly, the glare turning into something akin to a dying campfire. He hides his intimidation through a defiant scowl and barely hearable grumblings but, clearly, the message has been well and truly received.

"Don't ever speak to a member of staff like that again, Mister Winchester."

As she relinquishes her crop from his chin, Goodwitch glances over to spot a thoroughly intimidated Jaune walking warily towards them.

Goodwitch clears her throat, "Now, both of you, your match is over. Mister Arc, please go retrieve your weapon."

Sneaking a second glance at Cardin, Jaune shakenly nods and goes to pick up Crocea Mors.

With the match officially over, our other classmates in the arena are quick to freely speaks their minds about what the hell just happened, chattering noisily amongst themselves.

"Shit, man. Cardin just got told."

"That wasn't as big of a car-wreck as I thought it'd be."

"Yeah. Really thought that Jaune guy would get totalled but, he did better than I thought he would."

"So what? It's not that impressive. His Aura dulls the pain, doesn't it?"

"Not immediately, and Cardin was raining down on him pretty hard too. Guy just wouldn't stay down."

"Still didn't win, though."

"He's a crap fighter but, damn, I expected way worse."

"I know."

"Arc survived Winchester."

A small smile breaks out on my face. I wouldn't call it a one-eighty shift or anything but, everyone's opinions are changed quite heftily from how it was before the match started. Granted, everyone was expecting a complete train crash but, a step up from train crash is still a step up. He gave that fight everything he had. For as minuscule as it seems, it's still something. He can be proud of that much.

Now, as for her person he was trying to impress…

I glance up at her.

Weiss is still there, still with that damn Scroll in her hands, still not paying a single iota of attention to the events transpiring below. She averts her eyes slightly, only to look at me with eyes half-lidded. She shakes her head disappointedly then returns to her Scroll without even another glint.

She's not impressed. No, why would she be? She probably came into this fight seeking to be disappointed.

If you're so confident, why don't you go down there and take on Cardin? Show us how you would do it?

I sigh a groan. Exasperating. She's so bloody exasperating.

 _Boom!_

An explosion pierces my eardrums. A shriek, several shrieks ring through the arena. What the hell was that?! I spin around.

Smoke. Violently pluming smoke and crumbling rubble, coming from the largest wall in the arena, behind the holographic screen. A thick dusty crater at the bottom is the cause of this destruction. I scan around the floor for the source.

There. Steam hissing from the tip of an onyx mace, standing above discarded sword and shield. Cardin, with both arms, is holding it and staring the newly-made crater down.

I stop breathing. No. He didn't. No, he bloody didn't!

" _Jaune_!"

"Wha- What did he do that for?!" Ruby yelps out.

Yang slams an irate fist on the rails, "What's his problem?! He already won! He had no reason to do that!"

"Apparently that wasn't good enough for him," says Pyrrha, having leapt up from her seat when the blow connected.

Cardin rounds on the teacher, teeth bare, pointing at the destruction he's made and roaring out in frustration, "There! Now I won! Was that so damn hard?!"

A bit of railing cracks from underneath Pyrrha's fingertips, "He's disgraceful."

With a flick from crop, Professor Goodwitch disarms Cardin and begins to holler at him for his disobedience and for needlessly assaulting a student.

I don't care. Screw it. Screw him. The smoke's yet to clear from the debris and I've yet to see Jaune walk out of there safe. I'm restless. I'm restless and I don't care. I can't rest until I see him okay. My voice scrapes out, "Can anyone else see Jaune?! I-I can't see him! Is he alright?!"

Little by little, the thick smoke begins to fade away and a prone figure lies amongst the destruction.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please, oh please, be okay!

The smoke clears.

Jaune… isn't okay.

"Oh my gosh," Ruby gasps, both hands instinctually clasping her mouth.

Blood. Blood's leaking from the back of Jaune's head. It's pooling out, and he hasn't even twitched a muscle.

The classroom descends into panic. A few scream, others yell out, several are caught in hysteria. Almost nobody is in there seat anymore.

"Everyone! Remain calm and stay in your seats!" Professor Goodwitch commands, eying the situation critically. She turns in Jaune's direction but, not before she sticks her crop up at a still Cardin and addresses him with a tone that's deathly cold. "You. Move even an inch from this spot and I'll have you thrown out of this academy before you even breathe."

He barely manages a nod as Miss Goodwitch runs off to check on Jaune's condition, instantly dialling her Scroll on her way there. She's already planned exactly what she's going to do.

Now, me? What am I going to do about this?

"Move over."

"H-huh?" I blurt out, swirling around at the voice.

Plum purple flashes before my eyes. The girl from before, the narcoleptic that had been snoozing behind me for the entire fight, leaps over the railing with her school bag and Scroll in tow. She jumps down to the arena floor, and races towards the bleeding Jaune. Goodwitch is quick to intercept her with a furled brow and some selective words but, with a flash from her Scroll and a few words of her own, Goodwitch nods and allows the girl past.

What the hell's going on? What does she think she's doing?

Better yet, what the hell am I doing? Why aren't I down there? I can't stand here. I… I have to help him!

Mimicking her, I pull myself over the railing and hop down to the floor below.

"Eren!" Ruby calls after me but I don't stop.

I sprint forward upon touching down, racing towards him. The plum-haired girl is dumping everything out from her bag, fetching out a first-aid kit fallen out from it.

J-Jaune, h-his face, his hair… they're covered in his blood. There's enough pouring out to dye him a fine misty red.

This is grotesque. I don't want to see anyone I care about like this. I couldn't bare it.

"Mister Liddell," Professor Goodwitch intercepts me, still too far away from them. She narrows. "I distinctly remember telling everyone to stay in their seats!"

"B-but, Miss! I-I…" I splutter, shaking my head. "I can't just sit there and watch! There has to be something I can do to help!"

"Mister Liddell, do you have any medical experience or any experience in general with handling head trauma?" She asks simply. I… lower my head. No. I've never even touched a first-aid kit in my life, never learned how. I didn't really think about how I'd help him, just that I wanted to. So desperately.

I didn't think. I didn't think at all.

She sighs, but her voice takes a gentler turn, "I understand that you're concerned for your teammate's well-being but, there's nothing you can do here. I'm afraid you'd only be in the way."

I glance over at him, worry clutching my heart, "…What's going to happen to him?"

Miss Goodwitch pauses, "The situation is very delicate. I've called for a team assigned from our infirmary division to come here for assistance. They'll be here in a few minutes. They'll assess his condition. The severity of head injuries like this, as well as the aftereffects such an injury can have on a person is quite vast and we're unsure whether the injury only pierced the skin…" She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Or if it had cracked the skull. He may require transferring to a hospital."

I wince. That's… some serious level injuries there. The kind that could be permanent, that could potential change his whole life if it's severe enough. Concussions, brain damage, injuries that could land Jaune in a psychiatric ward for the rest of his life.

Don't be that bad. Please don't be that bad. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve a fate that cruel.

"I'll allow you to stay here for the time being but, please, stay out of the way and let us work. We'll inform you and your team on what will be happening. I must get back to work." Goodwitch turns around and makes her way back to the girl and Jaune.

…She's a professional. Professor Goodwitch, she's a professional Huntress. She's dealt with these kinds of injuries before. She'll make sure he'll be safe, she has to. If… if he doesn't…

"I… I didn't mean to."

 _You._

Cardin. His eyes haven't left Jaune's spot since that strike. A strike he made, "I didn't- Th-that wasn't supposed to happen. He… He had Aura! He was supposed to take the hit!"

 _Supposed to?_

Supposed to. As if that excuses him, as if that makes him innocent, as if he's somehow a victim for something he did. He sent my teammate careening into a wall, and he wants to make bloody excuses?!

 _You son of a bitch._

I stare at him, stare at him like I'm staring at a monster. He makes eye-contact once with me and reels back as if I'm pointing a gun at him.

"Stop it. Stop looking at me like that! This wasn't supposed to- He was supposed to- I'm not-"

 _His fault_?

You're making this his fault? As if you gave him a choice? As if he forced your hand? As if you didn't have any part in the blood gushing from his head? You couldn't stand a referee stoppage, and somehow, you're making him the bad guy?!

 _You piece of shit._

" _This isn't my fault!_ "

"Yes. It is."

My words come out emotionless, the blazing beaten down fire burning hotly taking its place within. If there weren't thirty-five people staring down at me right now, I'm pretty sure I would've hurled myself at him and started strangling him until he stopped breathing.

Because right now, my self-control is teetering, and I'd love nothing more than to let it drop.

* * *

 **A/N:** Behold! The chapter that should've been finished earlier but I was never happy with!

Yeah, thought the transition back into fight scenes after so long would've been easier but, that wasn't the case. I don't think Jaune Vs. Cardin flowed nearly as well as some of the other fights I've done before. Admittedly, it was always going to be a more story-driven fight rather just outright action what with Jaune being reckless skilless Jaune but, I was honestly really excited to see how it would turn out and it just never clicked with me.

So, yeah. Tanky is terrible with releasing on time. What else is new? Next chapter's obviously going to be pretty hefty so, I'm just going to shut my mouth on when it'll be released. I don't know how you people put up with me, honestly.

Also, I swear guys, I like Jaune. Really. I do. Honest. He just fits being a victim so well. I truly like him! Really! Why won't anyone believe me?! AAAHHH!

Anyway, thank you very much for reading! If you have any opinions on the story so far, be them good or bad, be sure to review and let me know. Constructive criticism is always encouraged!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 – Breaking Point**

I _hate_ hospitals.

The dreary monochrome hallways: the sickly stench of alcohol and putridly bitter medicinal herbs, bed after bed filled with glazed-over patients as stressed over-worked doctors rush along, busily juggling thirty cases at once trying direly to make sure these people can walk out one day while sustained only by a couple hours sleep.

It's depressing. Coming here is depressing. Sitting here watching Jaune, fourteen stitches threading the back of his head together, as he lies in a bed motionless for hours is… torturous.

After the medics patched his head back together, wrapping a bright white dressing securely around his head, he was taken in for his brain scan which would used to discover whether the damage reached his skull or not. The doctors would've preferred if he were awake for the occasion but, if he has something serious, they'd rather waste no time to uncover it.

They've placed him in one of the single rooms; a temporary allocation. Four of us followed him here: Yang's leaning with her boot up against the wall, Pyrrha's on her Scroll checking for answers, Ruby's grabbed herself one of two chairs, and finally myself sitting in the other positioned right next to the bed.

Notice how none of them are part of Team LABS?

I'm not surprised Blake didn't show. Can't say I'm best pleased about it but, it's not as though she built up the expectation.

Same can't be said for a certain someone…

"Pyrrha?"

"Still nothing, I'm afraid," she replies, peering up from her Scroll. "This is… odd. Weiss is always the one to contact me. I thought she would've sent something back the moment I sent the text."

A text she sent about four hours ago. I think she's made her position on the matter very clear. Weiss probably gave one look at the contents, rolled her eyes, and deleted it. It's not like she has any reason to be here or anything.

I dip my head and whistle hot wind through my nose.

She should be here.

There's a chap at the door.

"Pardon me."

It opens, and the doctor assigned to Jaune's case enters to make his hourly check. He shares a brief individual glance with the four of us before contending his gaze with his unmoving patient.

"Still hasn't woken up yet," he hums aloud. "I take it there hasn't been any other movement?"

"N-no. He's been like this since he was moved," Ruby fidgets in her seat. The doctor scowls mildly, the development out of his hands but still perturbing nonetheless.

"Hm, that's troubling," he says. "His scans are being analysed as we speak. Though, regardless if he's clear, we've decided as a precaution that it'd be best if kept him for a few days to observe him and perform a few more tests."

They want to be certain of his safety. Fine by me, I'd rather they be careful about this than simply perform a couple of tests, raise their arms and yell, 'We're done!' Wouldn't be very professional of them, would it?

Folding his arms in an authoritative manner, he addresses the four of us collectively.

"Now, not that I'm pushing you all out or anything, but you've all been here since he was brought in and, as I understand it, none of you have had a proper meal in hours. It's unlikely that Mister Arc will wake up tonight, unconsciousness after severe head injuries has the potential to last for several days," he explains. "I think it'd be wise if you all returned to the academy for today. We'll keep your teachers updated on his condition and they'll be sure to let you know if there are any changes."

The offer doesn't fly over our heads. One glance at Ruby's churning face and I can tell that she's absolutely famished, the low gurgling rumbles shamelessly from her stomach. The others are keeping it under wraps but, I wouldn't put it past Yang or Pyrrha to be feeling the same way too.

An enhanced appetite – That was one of the prerequisites that came with activating your Aura.

Yang speaks up, "We'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Doc."

The doctor reciprocates the nod and leaves us. He'd be back in an hour to check up on Jaune again whether we leave or not. We four spend a moments time in contemplative silence until finally, Yang steps off the wall.

"Yeah. I'm going to take him up on that offer," she says.

Pyrrha nods, "I agree. That seems like the most sensible course of action."

"Same here. I feel like I haven't eaten anything in months," Ruby adds, standing up from her seat.

It's a fair course of action to take. While I have seen each of them exchange a few words with him here and there, none of them were really obligated to stay this long, I wouldn't have held it against them for leaving earlier. If he were awake, I'd imagine them showing up at all would've meant a lot to Jaune.

As for myself, well, I've already decided.

"I'm going to stay."

Naturally, my decision is met by varying degrees of disapproval from the girls: an uncontained wince of concern from Ruby, a subdued if uncertain curl from Pyrrha and, a pointed look from Yang.

Surprisingly, Ruby's the one to voice their objections, "Eren, I know you're worried about him but, the doctor said-"

"He said it was unlikely – Not impossible," I tell her. "If there's a chance he'll wake up today, I want to be sure that somebody will be there. I'm his teammate and… we do talk a lot. It should be me."

The last thing I'd want if I were in his position would be to wake up in a dark empty hospital room, unconfused and all alone. I can't imagine him being fully coherent after being rattled like that. If someone were here to explain things to him, it might make things easier for him to digest.

Besides, I know I'll only worry no matter what I do. At least if I worry here instead of at Beacon, I can be of some use with it.

"What about dinner? You haven't eaten anything either," she asks.

I wave her off, "I'll grab something from the common-room when I get back."

If I even have the urge, that is. For as hollow as my stomach feels, the thought of filling it makes me wretch.

The three of them continue to stare at me, still unconvinced despite my insistence. I try to placate them with a small smile, "Guys, really, it's fine. Go on without me. I'll let him know you came to see him if he wakes up."

After a moment, Pyrrha's the first to step back though, I don't think it's because I fully won her over. There's a hint of slight awkwardness to her step, as though she doesn't fully agree with herself but resigns herself to it out of politeness. I suppose we don't know each other that well. She must not feel all too comfortable with telling me what I should be doing.

A courtesy that Ruby is more than willing to enact, "But how will you-"

"If you're sure, we'll head off then."

The pair of us snap up at Yang, the redhead's eyes shooting wide open. She yelps, "Y-Yang?!"

I'm barely able to contain my shock myself. Between the pair of them, I would've pegged Yang as the more steadfast one. Sure, she relented earlier before the fight but so did Ruby. That was mutual decision, one made with a promise that they've yet to cash in on. Really, I half-expected her to scoff 'Yeah, no,' throw me over her shoulder and carry me all the way back to Beacon.

That's… curious.

Yang shares a look with her sister, an almost knowing glint in her eyes. They're having one of their telepathic talks again. Whatever's they're discussing, it's enough for a flash of comprehension to pass between her sibling's perplexed disposition. With a reluctant huff, Ruby nods and lets the issue drop.

Yang turns, gazing at me, her eyes hardening somewhat as though she's seeking something from me. Her face is carrying a dissatisfied grimace, but it lacks real severity and force behind it. It's almost exactly like the one right before Jaune's match, when we agreed to…

Ah, it clicks. I think I understand now.

Despite being crammed into this tiny room for several hours, neither of them had pushed me to make good on my promise from before. It was a mercy, one I'm gracious for. I wasn't in the… right headspace after what had happened. If they pressed so soon, god, my head would've been all over the place.

Yang isn't the type to let things go easily. She left it out of consideration, not forgetfulness, but I'm only being let go for the moment. I'm not being let scot-free. She wants me to know that.

I breathe a sigh, "I know. I haven't forgotten."

"Everything. You're going to tell us everything as soon as you get back," she says decisively.

My lips tug a grimace, but I quickly smooth it out. Don't whine, it's more time than I had before. Just think of it as an extension.

I bob my head pensively. She reciprocates, "Call us if anything comes up."

"Yeah. Sure thing," I reply.

Yang unfolds her arms and turns around. Nudging her head, she signals the other girls towards the door, "Let's go guys."

The partners share a glance. Neither of them seem fully content with what's happening but, I can see they're easing themselves into accepting it little by little. Ruby steps forward and puts a hand on my shoulder, smiling softly at me. I smile back. If Yang hadn't said it first, I'm sure Ruby would've said everything she just did.

Hearing her sisters rustling backpack, Ruby backs away and collects her own schoolbag, ready to leave.

Pyrrha picks up her own bag and follows the sisters outside when she stops and… lingers. She peers over her shoulder and gazes down at the sleeping Jaune. After a long couple of seconds, the redhead turns her attention to me. Sympathy glistens in her eyes.

"He seems like a nice guy," she says solemnly. "He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"…No," I say, gazing down at him. "He didn't."

Pyrrha stays a few moments longer before the door shuts behind me and I hear footsteps begin to ring out against the hospital floor. From here on in, it's just me, my teammate, and a gloomy hospital room. More reason to stay, really.

The last airship to Beacon is late in the evening, and it's currently still late in the afternoon. I have the time to stay for a few more hours.

In the meantime, I sit in silence.

Occasionally, I flip out my Scroll to browse the internet, or play a few installed apps or, generally just do something to distract myself. After the first hour, the doctor comes in to check up on him for a minute or two then heads away for his other cases. He doesn't so much as bat an eye when he finds out that I stayed. It's a typical affair for him, I'm certain. Wish I felt the same…

I take a look at the bandage around Jaune's head and I find myself glaring at it.

That shouldn't be there. There's no reason for it to be there. Jaune hadn't done anything to warrant it, he even lost the match, and yet Cardin still…!

From the disquiet murmurs from my classmates who saw, Jaune was going to pick up his sword when Cardin struck. Attacked him from behind. Two hands. Never had a chance to react.

If Professor Goodwitch doesn't tear that bastard limb from limb, I'm gonna…!

Red flashes before my eyes.

I realise that my nails are digging into the wooden portion of the chair's frame. I pace a few breaths, and a couple more after them, before I release in. My insides feel like they're burning up. It's becoming a struggle trying to keep everything in…

A pang of dread suddenly spikes inside me. His sword!

"Shit! Crocea Mors!"

Everything happened so quickly, I completely forgot about Jaune's sword! Damn it, that's his family heirloom. Several generations of family history are in that blade! How could I be that thoughtless?!

Twat! You're a twat, Eren! A brainless twat of a moronic idiot!

I have to secure it before he wakes up but, in the time it'll take me to reach Beacon, find the sword, and come back, it'll already be time for me to leave. He might've even woken up during that duration, and then what was the point of me staying in the first place?

I rub my forehead. What to do? I don't want to leave him alone, but I sure as hell don't want Crocea Mors left somewhere in the arena either.

…It bothers me to ask, but I think it's better if I ask Ruby and Yang for help.

I take out my Scroll and hastily type up a text.

 _'Hey guys. Forgot about Jaune's sword and shield. Left it in arena. Hate to ask, could you guys grab it for him? It's important.'_

Send. Half a minute later, I'm pinged back.

 _'Sure thing!'_

I breathe a sigh of relief.

 _'Thanks, guys. I owe you one.'_

That's a weight off my mind. Makes things more convenient too. They're already back at the academy by now so, they should be able to swing by the arena fairly quickly.

What am I even stressing out about? If it's not there, it'll be at the lost and found. Beacon staff wouldn't just leave a stray sword lying around, not in a public place. One way or another, the girls will find it, and everything will be okay.

Unless someone stole it.

…I rub a hand through my greasy hair. I feel sick. Probably the stress, or the lack of eating, or the lack of sleep, or the fact I worry too much, or all of them. Probably all of them.

I need a drink.

Luckily for me, I don't have to go far to find myself a water cooler. There's one situated barely a small walk down the corridor, in-between the wards where the bustling traffic of hustling nurses are constantly on green light. Taking and levelling one of the offered plastic cups alongside it, I press the button and purified water fills it full.

I down the lot in one go, gasping like escaping steam afterwards.

Oh, that hits the spot. I'd still take cola any day of the week but, icy refreshing water has never done me wrong. Wouldn't have gotten through my Standard Grades sane without it.

I'll have myself another cup or two, refill it again, and then head back to Jaune.

It's as I finish off my second cup that I notice a scruffy patch of dark purple hair popping out from behind what appears to be a laptop Scroll variant, more notebook looking really, belonging a figure hunched over in her chair. If the hair isn't enough to tip me off, the girl Beacon uniform certainly does.

Same girl from class, Yang's partner. The narcoleptic. She's the one that jumped down to apply medical attention to Jaune after the incident.

Beneath her chair is a cup of coffee and a small pile of large chunky books. Based on their colour palettes, I'm willing to bet that they're educational in nature. Studying material? Would think so but, Beacon's books have a warmer palette to them, easily identifiable in comparison to the textbooks I got back at high school. Those are from another organisation. Why does she have those? Why is she studying in the middle of a hospital? Why do none of the nurses around here seem to care?

And why, oh why does her torso have to lean forward like that while she's still upright?! Her spine must be screaming for mercy right now. Bleh!

She's totally asleep again, isn't she? I don't even have to ask.

She can't stay like that; her chiropractor will be living off her until retirement. Someone should really wake her up.

…I sigh gently. Well, who else if not me? I need to thank her for helping Jaune anyway so, yeah. Gotta go do, y'know, the talking… thing. Yeah.

Deep breaths, Liddell. Deep breaths.

Downing another cup as though it's scotch, I bottle up my anxiety and push forward towards the sleeping girl. I stop beside her, a nasally snore gurgling from her throat. Yeesh.  
 **  
**"U-um, Miss?" I prompt gingerly.

No response.

Gently, and with much hesitation, I reach out a hand to rouse her, "E-excuse me. Miss?"

The sleeping girl jolts awake, giving me the fright of my life as I lurch back with a yelp. Within seconds, the girl expression quickly contorts from shock to irritation. I half expected her to swerve on me and start chewing me out but, instead, she decides to do something… unexpected.

Without warning, the girl reaches into her right sleeve and begins tugging at something once. Twice. Three times and pulls out…

A shock band. She was wearing a shock band, no bigger than a common wrist watch. It even has a pulse monitor screen on the front of it. She was wearing that thing the entire time she was asleep.

That's… yeah, that's definitely normal. Okay.

"Tch. Told her it was a load of crap," the girl drones tiredly. A single half-hearted toss sends the accosted device straight into one of the faraway bins. She looks at the Scroll screen and clicks her tongue. "And now I'm behind. That's perfect."

Now is the time I choose to speak up.

"U-um…"

The girl sets her infuriated glare upon me, "What? What do you want?"

"N-no, nothing," I stammer, backing away. She's clearly high-strung and not in a great mood. I have to deal with one crabby girl seventy percent of the time, I'd rather not get on the bad side of yet another one. "Uh, s-sorry for disturbing you."

I turn away to leave. She's already awake, I can just give her my thanks later.

"Hold up," the girls call out and I cautiously turn around. She groans exasperatedly and rubs her eyes. "That came out wrong. It's not you, it's the lack of caffeine talking."

Drowsily, the girl plucks her coffee from beneath the chair. She takes a sip which is immediately spat right back into the cup. Stone cold. Thought it might be. Absent-mindedly, the sleepy girl chucks the cup over her head right into the same bin from before. One-handed. Both times. Good arm on her.

Sighing and rubbing her temples, the girl looks up at me and I finally have a decent look at the choppy plum haired girl.

Bright lime green eyes undermined by bags so weighty it'd put my entire family to shame, an unhealth complexion paler than half the folks back home and, while topping at a decent height for any ordinary young woman, she's so malnourished and brittle that I feel fatter just being around her. 'Unhealthy' fits her to a tee.

"You're Liddell, right? Eren Liddell," she says.

I straighten up, "Y-yes. That's right, and you're, uh, Yang's partner. Um, I-I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"Heather Bloom," she answers with a yawn. Before continuing, Heather dips down and nabs one of her books off the floor. She hurriedly flicks through the pages, balancing her ScrollBook between her thighs during the process, until she finds the correct page and then places the Scroll opposite it. Good thing the book is so big and the Scroll, well, isn't.

She begins furiously typing, eyes firmly on the screen as she talks, "So, what can I do you for, Liddell? If you've come up to strike up a chat, make it quick. I've got work to do and about thirty-five minutes worth of studying to catch up with."

Best not to waste too much of her time then, I shuffle in place, "W-well, um, I-I wanted to thank you. For helping Ja- Uh, my teammate today. If you hadn't been ther-"

"No thanks."

I blink, "S-sorry?"

"The sentiment's nice and all but, I didn't help out your teammate looking for a grand parade in my honour. The guy was bleeding out. I was there. I jumped in to help. That's it," she says simply, glancing up at me. "If you have to thank someone, thank the Infirmary team. Something tells me those guys don't nearly get the gratitude they deserve."

I… never really thought about that, honestly. The Infirmary team sort of dropped out of my mind the moment Jaune was sent off to the hospital. I never really considered giving them my thanks for all they did for him.

Hah, she really wasn't kidding about the lack of appreciation. Poor sods.

I nod, "F-fair enough. I'll be sure to do that."

"How's your friend holding up?" Heather asks. I unconsciously start rubbing my wrists.

"U-um. He's still sleeping."

"Some guys get all the luck," she says drily. I feel the urge to glare at her, but I resist it. It's not like she's trying to pick a fight or anything. Even if she is being annoyingly candid.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Prolonged unconsciousness after blunt force trauma might normally be a sign of brain injury but, your friend isn't normal. He's a Huntsman-in-training. The guy can't swing a sword to save his life, but he had a lot of Aura and that kind of quantity doesn't just go away."

"You… sure sound confident about it," I remark cautiously.

"That's because the personnel here don't fully understand Aura," she says. "Nobody really does. Not even the 'revolutionary' big wigs up at Atlas understand the full effects it has on a person, and they pride themselves on global advancement. Heh. Bet that drives them insane."

I raise an eyebrow, failing to understand how a lack of comprehension is supposed to calm me. Heather clears her throat, sliding her Scroll aside and giving me her full attention.

"Point is, Aura is unpredictable. It's screwed up a lot of medical cases in the past because the Doctors here can't always account for it. Ask the A and E team. Seriously. They get hit by it more than anyone else. One minute they get a call about a kid who apparently broke their arm, the next they get a cancellation because the kid only thought it was broken." Her expression deadpans. "Turns out eleven-year old Combat school students are morons. Who knew."

Not going to argue with her there. Though, despite the… obvious emotional problems those kids have, that sounds remarkably similar to what happened to me in the Emerald Forest. When the Ursa crushed me with those trees; I thought my spine snapped in two. I couldn't feel my legs until my Aura kicked in afterwards. It repelled the damage it could've done just fine but the pain…

Wait. Is that it?

"Are you saying that Jaune's skull only felt the pain and nothing actually hit it?"

"No. We don't know when exactly his Aura burst, if it was immediately after the blow or if it was when he hit the wall," she corrects. "What I'm saying is that it's a possibility, and that you shouldn't be quick to count your friend done and brain-dead."

Heather lays a single finger against her check and smirks. Or is that her attempt at a smile? Doesn't seem natural, "Have a little faith in the guy, got it? He might not be able to fight worth a damn but, he's surprisingly resilient. If you count on him for anything, it's taking shots and coming back from them."

Hm. Yes. He's not one to back down so easily once he's committed, isn't he?

Her mirth suddenly drops, and she eyes me. "Also, if he turns up at the infirmary in less than a month or so, the team's going to strap him to a medical bed and he's going to have to attend classes in it for the rest of the year."

The fact that she said that in total seriousness is making me very glad I'm not a big fighter.

"A-ah, noted," I say, failing to hide my stutter. "I-I'd best get back to him then. Thank you, um, Heather."

"Sure," Heather says, moving her ScrollBook back into place. "Oh, one last thing. Your teammate, the black-haired girl? She popped by earlier."

Blake?

Blake… showed up?

"She left about an hour ago. Caught her as she was talking to Rowa-" She coughs, "I mean, your teammate's doctor. She scampered off after that. Little Miss Bowgirl isn't as subtle as she likes to think she is."

The utter bewilderment upon my face is palpable. Heather looks at me and rolls her shoulder, "Thought you should know. I'm going to get back to work. Nice talking with you, Liddell."

"…Y-yeah. You too."

As I walk away, rampant key clicking resounding through my ears, I find it difficult to connect the dots. Blake's appearance by itself is a surprise, yes, but she only left about an hour ago – Not too long after the girls left. How long had she been here for?

No. The real question here is: Why didn't she come in? She knew who Jaune's doctor was, she made the effort to check up on him, why didn't she come in to check on him in person? Why the need for distance? I understand she's avoiding Weiss, understandable, but she wasn't there? What was stopping her. It's not like she gives a shit what anybody would think of her.

I… think?

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. People are so bloody confusing.

Ah, well, at least she made the effort to make sure he was okay. Not how I would've liked it but, best not to get greedy. She was here. She checked. That's enough. Minimalistic but enough.

Better than what can be said for Weiss.

My Scroll vibrates. I slide it open and my eyes immediately seize on a text message. Yang has finally updated me on their venture.

Unfortunately, the news isn't as I hoped.

' _Sword wasn't in the arena. We went asking prof. goodwitch and some of the other guys but nobody's seen it. Sorry Eren.'_

I hold back a violent curse. Dread sticks to my ribcage like acid, the sudden rush of optimism I had earlier eroding and dissipating within seconds. Fearing that my distress would reflect upon them, I quickly type back a reply.

'Not your fault. I'll let him know. Thanks for looking, guys.'

* * *

Time trickles slower and slower the longer I stay in this room.

For the next couples of hours, I try to kill as much of it as I possibly can: Rummaging on my Scroll, shutting my eyes a few times, counting the ceiling tiles, pacing in place, I even try playing rock paper scissors at one point with my own hands because, yes, I'm truly that far deep in mental purgatory. After needing to switch my Scroll to low power to allow for emergency calls, every other option for entertainment had been exhausted and all I have left are my thoughts. Something I've been trying to avoid for obvious reasons…

Crocea Mors.  
 _  
_I sigh, bucking my Scroll against my skull a few times. I shouldn't linger on this but, Christ, I'm idiot and I don't listen to myself enough. This never would've been a problem had I just kept an eye on the damn thing in the first place. I knew how important it was to his family, I should've been more aware. More alert. Not seething stupidly at Cardin.

Jaune's going to be distraught when he- _  
_**  
**"H… ah…"

I stop. Immediately. Dry air croaks from a dusty throat as royal blue eyes begin creaking open, squinting and blinking blindly, as if to search around for something familiar.

They land on me. They widen slightly in recognition.

"Er… Eren?"

"Jaune?"

Improbability dies quietly, and I leap up in elation, "Y-you're awake!"

"Wha… Wh-what is… What's going… What is this-" Hampered by his dazed state, he reaches up to investigate the back of his head, to where his stitches are, but my hand shoots out instinctively to stop him before he reaches it.

"N-no, no! Don't. Don't touch that. Okay?" I say soothingly, carefully lowering his arm. "Um, you're in Vale's Grand Hospital. You were in an incident. Do you remember?"

He stares vacantly at me. That's a no, then. Probably still under the aftereffects of that concussion he's sporting. Definitely not a good sign.

"L-look, uh, sit there for a moment. I'll go call the Doctor so, ju-just wait for, ah, a couple of moments and," I swipe his arm back down. "Leave it alone, and I'll be right back. Alright?"

"…O-okay?" He… queries?

Yeah, the sooner a professional takes over, the less hazardous this whole scenario will be. Don't want his brain to crack right after he's woken up.

I rush out the door, urgency pumping my heart, and pry the doctor away from one of his many write-ups and practically drag him all the way back to Jaune. From there, the doctor checks to see how comprehensive Jaune truly is and when he is satisfied, and even somewhat impressed, with his recovered, provides him an abridged version of what happened to him and what they're planning on doing.

Jaune is disturbingly stoic throughout the whole but, flashes of life in his eyes indicate that he is indeed listening. The doctor promises to return later once his brains had time to recover a little more and that he'll explain what exactly they're planning to do to help him.

After receiving a subdued nod, the doctor leaves the pair of us alone.

Jaune's… quiet. Almost mute, even. It's unnerving. Not that I'd consider him a chatterbox by any means but, quiet is by no means his normal. The only other time I've seen him so quiet is, well…

Hospital bed or trash bin: Doesn't seem so different from where I'm sitting.

"Did she come by?" He speaks, finally.

A knot tightens in my back. The terminology is intentionally vague, we both know who he's talking about. I hesitate to answer.

"Um, Ruby, Yang, and Pyrrha were here earlier," I supply with a forced smile. "They had to head away about a few hours ago but, they stuck around since what happened to make sure you were alri-"

"Eren," he interrupts me with a pleading look. "Please."

My smile disappears and a grimace takes its place, "…I'm sorry."

He winces and stares down at his bed. I understand this kind of reaction was inevitable, no thanks to Weiss, but I had to try to dissuade it somehow. Even if it's only a little. Seeing Jaune this dishevelled…

Well, it doesn't make what I have to tell him any easier.

"That's another thing," I say. "It's, um, it's about Crocea Mors."

"My sword…?" He blinks, as if I momentarily switched languages. Then, as his pupils dilate in realization, he jolts up. "Eren, where's my sword? Where's Crocea Mors?!"

"W-we don't where it is," I tell him, thumbs fiddling. "Ruby and Yang asked around but…"

"No…" A pained expression flares up on his face as he lets his head dip into his hands. He begins massaging it furiously, a thick hot despairing breath escaping his throat. "No. No. Come on." Just the poor reaction I expected.

"I-it was in the arena," I say hastily. "Th-that's practically the most public facility on campus. Someone would've found it. It'll turn up!"

"Today's been bad enough as it is, I can't have lost the family sword too!"

"I-it's not lost! It… We just don't have it right now," I say, trying to instil as much hope into him as much as possible. It doesn't matter if it's genuine or even if it's uncomfortable, I push it out. "It's still in the Academy somewhere. I'll find it. Jaune, I promise you we'll find Crocea Mors."

Jaune stops rubbing.

He glances at me, expression unreadable from behind his uncurled fingers. My words seem to have reached him but, I can't discern what effect exactly they've had. By the time he finally lets his arms drop, Jaune is almost eerily stoic. He leans back against his pillow, whistles a sigh through his nostrils, head down as he stares at his bed with glazed-over eyes.

Again, I'm feeling the horrible shudder of déjà vu. Should I be satisfied for stopping him before he got any worse or concerned that it did and all I've done is made him hide it?

Stoic Jaune is not a man I'm experienced in handling. Hell, I can barely handle normal people.

For a short while after, I leave him be to his thoughts. The guy's already taken a couple of emotional blows to the gut already, he needs a little more time to recover mentally before we talk some more.

The lack of offered small talk from either of us is low-key freaking me out, though. Is this what an extrovert feels like talking to me? I'm beginning to pity them.

"I've made up my mind," Jaune says suddenly.

I peer up from my Scroll, "Hm? What's up?"

"I'm leaving Beacon."

Something must've lodged its way into my ear there, or I hadn't fully diverged my attention from my Scroll because there is no he'd say that. I straighten myself up and wring whatever excess wax is clogging my eardrums.

"Uh, sorry. Blacked out for a second. Ahah," I laugh awkwardly. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm quitting. I'm going to fill out a leaver form, hand it to the headmaster, and that'll be that. I'll be gone by the end of the week."

He says all of this seriously. Very seriously. I scan his features for any hint of mirth, any inclination that he doesn't really mean it, and this is just another poor attempt at improper humour, like he'd done back at the alley.

Nothing. He's not acting. He really means it. He… He wants to leave Beacon. He's going to leave LABS.

Shock dulls my senses. He can't- There's no- How could he even consider… My brain tumbles around, trying to comprehend why he throw it all away like this. This is all far too out of the blue, there's no way this is a fully conscientious decision.

Shit. _Shit._

I have to stop him!

"You-" His injury. Remember his injury. "You're not thinking clearly. You took a bad blow to the head, you're dazed and-and scared. This isn't- You don't really mean that."

"No, Eren. I do mean it. I was already thinking about it before my… fight," he winces, quite clearly recalling the memory now. It only serves to make his determination firm. "And I've thought about it long enough. This is the right thing to do."

"Is this because you didn't beat Cardin?" I enquire, pouncing on the subject. "Jaune, y-you shouldn't be beating yourself up over that. Sure, you didn't win but, you should be proud you had the guts to-to challenge him in the first place. There were even a couple of classmates that were impressed by how you did. You-you-you did your best."

"My… best? My best, huh." He repeats the words flatly, tone slowly curdling into something sharp and dark. Then, he glares bitterly at me. "And what did my 'best' get me, Eren? What did I really accomplish in all this?"

"U-um…" I stumble. A lump expands in my throat as my mind is made aware of how truly short that list really is.

Jaune doesn't wait for my answer. He goes off.

"Well, let's see here: Cardin didn't take me seriously through half of it, when he finally did, he totalled me, Weiss wasn't impressed, I got smeared across the class wall, I'm in a hospital. I've got fourteen stitches sticking out of the back of my head and apparently, there's a chance I could have some serious specially-named mental trauma from it and to top all of that big bag of fun off, I lost the fight! Oh! And I lost Crocea Mors!"

Chest pumping, he gives himself a sardonically exaggerated celebratory clap, "Amazing. Just fantastic! What a great effort that was on my part! Wow. I mean, wow! My best is something else!"

He spits out a scoff, chugging out poison from under his breath as he scowls frustratedly at himself.

Great. All I've done is made him agitated. I still my shaking hands, "Oh… Okay. I-it didn't go perfectly-"

"It sucked. It sucked hard. I'm not surprised Weiss didn't show after a performance like that. She was right," he growls and shakes his head. "She was right all along. I'm not good enough. I thought I could prove her wrong, but I've only made myself look like even more of an idiot."

 _Weiss. Again. Why does she have to make everything worse?  
_  
"Weiss is wrong!" A uncontained burst of anger burns through my words and swiftly fizzles out. "Y-you… you were accepted into this academy ju-just like me! Like everyone else! Professor Ozpin himself picked you. Out of everyone from the Entrance Exam! Even if Weiss doesn't think you're good enough, the headmaster does."

"He didn't really pick me," he says bitterly.

I'm incredulous, "Jaune, he's the one that received all the transcripts from the Entrance Exam. This is his Academy. As far as I know, he was the main, if not the sole, decider on who gets into his academy. He picked you."

"No, he didn't. He didn't pick the real me! Everything I wrote on that damn transcript was a lie!"

…A harrowing second of silence passes. Horror presses against my lungs.

"Jaune. What are you saying?"

He sighs, "The transcript Professor Ozpin got was a forgery I managed to sneak it. I didn't go to combat school, I never went to the Entrance Exam, it wasn't written by any official examiners. Everything on that transcript was mimicked and written by me." He looks me weakly in the eye. "I… I cheated, Eren."

I… take a moment, to let the revelation settle. Jaune gazes at me intently, chewing his mouth, gauging for some kind specific reaction, "You don't look that surprised."

"I… I didn't know, but I felt something wasn't quite right," I admit, lowering my head.

The more the idea begins to settle, the less… jarring it feels. I wasn't entirely truth when I told Weiss I never really thought about it. I did. I irritated it when it did but, my mind has lingered on it for an extensive amount of time. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, if not solely because I was accepted, Jaune's combat ability… just doesn't measure up to the Academy's standards.

Jaune isn't a good fighter. I hate it. I really hate admitting but, him cheating to get in makes too much sense for it not to be the truth.

"I knew it was wrong. I knew I would've been taking a spot away from someone else who deserved it but, I couldn't let it go. There was no way I would've been selected if I actually took the exam and I-" He swallows. "Eren, you've gotta understand. I needed this. I've been dreaming of attending Beacon for years. I've trained all by myself for years just for the chance to become a Huntsman. The last four generations of the Arc family were warriors, they were soldiers, they were great, they were respected, they saved lives and I wanted that! I wanted to live up to all that. I wanted to be proud of who I was, but I was never good enough."

My head snaps up. I leap up. An opportunity to turn things around is presenting itself and damn if I'm not going to grab it.

"Th-then stay!" I plead. "If you were so desperate to become a Huntsman in the first place, then stay!"

He shakes his head, "I can't."

I lean forward, hands planted on the bed, "Jaune, man, I know you feel guilty about cheating but, what's done is done. You've only been here a week. If you stay longer, you're bound to get stronger, I-I promise. Just please, stay with us!"

" _I can't get you all killed!"_

My willpower falters. Jaune rounds on me with intensity brimming in his eyes, "I wanted to become a hero and protect people! I can't put the rest of you in danger just because I want to play pretend. That's the last thing I want. I'd never forgive myself if you all died!"

I take my hands away, tucking my head. I recall Weiss saying that to him before. I hoped that he'd figure she was just saying things and he didn't look too into it. From that sour expression on his face, I realise that I've been too wishful.

"I thought I could've measured up, that I could've caught up with you guys. I suppose that's why I wanted Weiss to accept me so badly, like it would validate me. That it would justify what I've done to get here in the first place," he says, joyless. He grasps a handful of his duvet. "But really, I was just in denial. What I've been through this last week only made me realise how out of my depth I really am: The Beowolves, the Nevermore, Cardin; even he could see that I wouldn't be able to hang here."

Cardin…

Jaune laughs hollowly, "No wonder everyone laughs at me. I'm such a joke."

"Jaune-"

" _No._ It's over. I'm leaving Beacon, and that's final. Some dreams aren't meant to come true, man and if becoming a Huntsman means endangering the lives of everyone I fail to defend, then mine shouldn't happen either." He exhales deeply. "I know that now. Maybe… Maybe that's a good thing. I should've moved on from this a long time ago. I might not even have a choice after I get those scans back."

His posture turns haggard. He looks haggard, rundown, and utterly defeated.

I open my mouth to say something: An objection, a compelling argument, a simple 'No,' anything that would instantly turn this whole damn scenario around and he'd just say, 'You're right. I'm being stupid. Give me twenty minutes and I'll come back with you to Beacon.'

I don't care that he cheated. Had I been in his situation, had I not had the luck to have the advantages that I did, I probably would've done the exact same thing he did. I don't care.

But one last long at his crestfallen frame, withdrawn and closed-off, I realise that it's already too late.

He's given up. The man who didn't give up on his dream to go to Beacon, the man who didn't run away when he knew this career would mean certain death, the man who didn't back down even when Cardin was decimating him, is giving up now.

And there's nothing I can say that will convince him anymore.

"At least my Mom's going to be happy to see me back. Heh," he chuckles sadly to himself. He scratches his head. "Ahh, that feels way more depressing that it sounded."

Damn it…

Several knocks at the door. Jaune's doctor pops and, with a curious brow, surveys the pair of us.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asks.

Right. He did say that he would be back to explain how things were going to work for him, didn't he? I suppose it's just been that long.

"You better go, Eren," Jaune tells me.

Silently, I pick up my school-bag and make my way to the door, ignoring the pointed look from the doctor. The weight of the bag barely registers as it slaps into my shoulder-blades. Nothing's registering right now. I feel like I'm drifting rather than walking. It's like a dream where all your senses just die. I barely even feel conscious. Is this failure? No. I recognise failure. This isn't it. Failure is overwhelming. I don't know what this is.

As I'm beyond the doorframe, Jaune calls out one last thing.

"Tell Weiss I'm sorry for wasting her time."

It takes me everything I have not to drive my fist through one of those dreary monochrome walls.

* * *

 **A/N:** God. This chapter took way too long. It's in due part to a scene that was pushed back to the next chapter which took up way too much time in the first place but, still, I wanted the Bully Arc to be finished by the end of the Summer. I am a lazy bastard people. Shame me.

Well, even without the extra scene, this chapter still wasn't easy. We have the introduction for first proper RWBY OC in the story, Heather Bloom. Definitely be sure to let me know your impressions of her so far. And there's the obvious Jaune scene where he has a full-blown breakdown. Because I've treated him so well this arc, might as well take his hopes and dreams away from him too. Anyone still buying that I don't hate this guy? Me neither.

So, what do you guys think of the story so far? Any thoughts on the new character? Good? Bad? Be sure to let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 – Eruption**

Before I know it, I'm in front of my dormitory room.

Beyond its door's wooden frame, I can hear the scratching of ren to paper, intense scribbling dotting the line from top to bottom and the hurried whop of textbook pages. A plain, ordinary studying night for the person inside.

Stillness grips me.

A nerveless hand digs into my pocket and slides my Scroll in front of the scanner. Light gleams green. The door clicks unlocked. The handle turns, and my feet pull me forward. My head tilts right.

There she is, scribing away.

Weiss turns my way, opening her mouth about to say something when her lips suddenly jitter shut.

She stares at me. I stare back, the moment perpetually stuttering to a slow as neither of us make a move to break eye-contact. Her individual facial muscles jostle perturbed. Though ordinarily my face should be burning into a fever, it doesn't shatter its seized-up expression, it's numb to the point that it feels like hardened sculpture wax.

Weiss's eyes dart away. She turns back to her desk and begins studying anew.

My eyes linger as I refit the strap of my bag on my shoulder. Certain that she wasn't going to look back at me again, my legs drag myself away towards my dormitory bed. **  
**  
"You're back late."

 _Crash!_

Metal supports twang and buckle, carved wood thumps and folds, dozens of books bump and tumble, and the entirety of the shelf comes crashing down, smashing straight into the floor in one gigantic clash, shattering the eardrums of everyone around it.

My breath comes out in rags. I glance down at my bag, now buried under the rubble of what it destroyed.

Feeling overwhelms. My skin burns like an alit flame and my stomach curls inward. Before, I barely felt a thing, now I feel everything, a sensory overload of shaking nerves and a blazing raging bonfire erupting inside like exploding molten metal.

I growl out my words, "That's it? That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"Ex… excuse me?" Weiss stutters. I turn on her, her form retracting into her chair as if it were a proper retreat.

"No. No, I won't," I say, slowly approaching her. "Do you know where I've been for the last eight hours, Weiss?"

She edges further away from me.

"I've been at the hospital, sitting right next to my teammate as he lay unconscious with the back of his head burst wide open. They're keeping him in for more tests because they're unsure if his brain has shards of rock imbedded in it that could screw up him up for the rest of his life." I eye her coldly. "You would've known all of this already had you cared to visit him."

She lifts up a hand, "Now hold on-"

" ** _Shut up!_** "

Weiss leaps up, her chair springing back so hard it tips over. The smoke begins pluming out from my mouth. I try to scavenge up the will to stop it but…

No.

She doesn't deserve that restraint.

"I'm talking! You shut the hell up and listen!"

There are no excuses, no justification for what she's done. Screw holding back. Screw keeping it in for her sake. She doesn't deserve it.

With the fire blazing in my stomach, I let everything out.

"Jaune is your partner. He spilled his guts out to you! He fought Cardin to earn your respect! All he ever wanted from you was to acknowledge him, to treat him as though he weren't worse than the dirt on your heels but apparently that was too much to ask! You couldn't even be bothered to see him in the hospital!"

Seething heat thrashes from my throat, a scathing glare directed straight at her.

"What the hell did he do to you, Weiss?! What did Jaune do that you took so personally for you to care so little about his wellbeing?! To not even check that he wasn't put into a coma or something messed up like that! What did he do?! Do you hate him that much?! Is that it?! Do you just want him to leave?!"

Weiss tries to step back, further and further away from me, but I don't let up. I keep encroaching not allowing her a single millisecond to breathe.

"Well, congratulations! You got your wish. He's quitting Beacon!"

"Wh-what?" She stammers.

"You heard me. He's quitting. He's giving up his chance to become a Huntsman. He's _leaving!_ "

My fist cracks the desk. Pain shoots up my arm, but I don't feel a thing.

"And it's thanks to you. You and your big bloody mouth! You couldn't say one good word about him, could you?! No, no. That would mean coming off from your ivory tower and using that chasm you call a heart! You're supposed to be the leader, it's your job to care about your teammates. How _dare_ you not be there!"

We stop. She's backed herself into the corner of the room. I stand in her way. Nowhere left to run.

"He believed in you! He believed there was more to you than being a cold-hearted witch! That was something in there worthy of respect! He was crushed when I told him you didn't show. He looked as though he let the entire world down. He even wanted to apologize, for failing. For not reaching up to your standards."

A small gasp of air inflates my lungs.

"…Even after everything you've said and done, he still had faith in you."

The image of a broken blonde in a hospital bed flashes in my head.

And the bile in my voice is replaced with snide bitterness.

"You know what's sad about that, though? He was the only one who did. Everyone else can't stand you: Blake, Yang, even Pyrrha looks like she'd rather be anywhere else when you talk to her. You pushed away the only person who wasn't deterred by your raging superior bitch complex, and you only have yourself to blame."

A final, incensed roar loosens from my chest.

"You're _alone!"_

 _Smack!_

I reel back a step. A stinging sensation pulses in my right cheek, swelling and burning as I lift a stunned hand to touch it. The dorm door swings open and slams shut, footsteps racing away speedily down the corridor. It takes my head a moment to register what had just happened. I scowl deeply at Weiss' disappeared frame. That's her response? Fine. Just fine. I never expected anything more from her.

Whatever.

I massage my cheek, the bitter, rage-filled thoughts rummaging around my head as my Aura soothes the pain away.

When I feel it disappear however, something else creeps in to replace it. A horridness I instantly recognise – The reality of my actions and the true severity of what I have done comes crashing down on me.

I lost control.

I shut down. I stopped thinking. I don't know what happened. Once I opened my mouth, I didn't want to stop. I just kept going, kept saying things. It's like a pressure valve was released in my chest and I couldn't shut it again. I was so mad, I didn't even consider what I was saying was true or not.

'You're alone.'

Why did I say that?

Why on earth did I tell her that? Why did I tell her that everyone hated her? How could I have so livid as to feel as if that was in any way justified?! Why did I shout at her? Why did I break the bookshelf? Why did I do any of this?! I'm supposed to be better than that! I'm supposed to be better at this!

I'm not supposed to be like that anymore!

"Oh god…" I gasp. My feet give way from underneath me and I end up lying against one of the dorm beds, clutching my head tightly.

Stupid. Stupid, Eren. You should've kept it contained and kept your dumbass mouth shut…

"Eren?"

I seize still. Horror mutes me as several chaps knock the door. An uncertain voice speaks up from the outside. During my rant, I never once considered the volume of my voice, the time of night, or even which room would be in close enough proximity to hear me.

Ruby.

No.

No.

No, no, _no, no, **no!**_

"Eren. Please open the door. I-I'm not sure what the right thing to say is right now b-but… I just want to help."

I don't speak. I don't even move. Doing anything otherwise would be as though I'm proving to her that I currently exist, that the last few minutes really happened.

I don't want that. I don't want her to see me like this. She doesn't deserve it.

"Eren?"

She continues chapping in vain, her every call sounding more and more pleading after another.

Even after every cruel, vile, ugly thing she heard, she's still trying to get involved with me.

"Talk to me?"

What kind of friend even I am to her at this point, anyway? Why does she even bother with me?

"Please?"

I'm not worthy of her.

I'm not worthy of any of them.

* * *

" **Are you stupid, Eren? Are you stupid?!"**

" _Honey, I know you loved her very much, but she was very ill and in so much pain. She was suffering, sweetie."_

" **This is my son, Eren. My family's very own boy genius."**

"I don't need you! I never needed any of you!"

 _"Kids? We both have something we need to tell you."_

"I'm trying to get my family back! Our lives were great! We were all so happy before! Why am I the only one here fighting for that?!"

 **"You need to wake the hell up, Eren. Before you really do lose everything."**

"Goodbye…"

* * *

I awaken to a mouthful of marble.

I push myself off the floor, feeling a crick up in my neck and as I lift my head up from the ground. Sleep pricks my eyes as they shudder into pure darkness and my shoulder shunts against an unseen wall. Head's so hazy. Can't even remember falling asleep.

Four pats, I pluck my Scroll. Illuminating light blinds me.

Twenty-five past six. Dinner will have finished. Or, is it still on?

Double-check the date. Still Thursday. Not losing any days at least. Course, that's assuming I can get some decent sleep that doesn't include a stiff neck.

There are fewer worse places to fall asleep in than the hard floor of a cramped single public stall.

Beacon Academy have community stalls like these scattered all throughout campus. It's practically a necessity, given how bloody big the place is. Makes for a great hideaway, though. Overnight accommodation… less so. I've never been hit by a truck before but, if I had, well, this would still be pretty awful.

Haven't changed out of my uniform. Forgot to grab some spare clothes before I left. Probably smells putrid. I'd be lying if I said I cared.

The device vibrates. Yet another text pops up in my top-bar, amongst many others along with missed calls.

They're still trying.

I hash out a sigh and type a reply.

 _'I'm fine. Be back soon.'_

Send.

…I rub my eyes dourly.

I haven't talked to anyone since my blow-up. Ruby, more than likely, had told Yang everything that had happened. Once she found out, I'm certain she would've come for me and Yang's not the kind of person to let the student identification authenticator get in her way.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't face her like that. I left my dorm as soon as my mind was made.

I'm not going to show my face to them again until I solve this debacle. Alone. Nothing will change otherwise. They shouldn't be forced to put up with my bullshit any longer.

With there being so much stalls on-campus, it wasn't hard to be somewhat troubling to find. There's been a few close encounters with a few forceful students and Goodwitch patrols but otherwise, I've made myself sufficiently scarce.

I skipped today's and yesterday's classes. They'd be there. Wasn't feeling it anyway. Haven't been to lunch or dinner either. Barely eaten a cup of instant noodles from the sophomore's common room.

I feel horrid. Inside and out, I feel absolutely horrid.

…But hiding away in toilets won't solve anything. I haven't just wasted my time feeling bad and gorging myself on self-pity. Not when there's someone else out there sitting in a bed, unable to change anything.

When everyone else is in class, or eating, I've been searching. For the last thing that could help me turn it all around.

My Scroll pings. I consider skimming over it, more messages telling me to come back, until I spot the name of the sender.

Jaune.

 _'Meet me in the locker-room. We need to talk.'_

It's not him.

But I already knew that.

I've also known for a while who'd taken his Scroll too.

And knowing they still have it burns me up inside. Impersonating Jaune? After all they did to him?

How dare they.

They're not keeping that Scroll. I won't have it. It's an ambush, a very obvious one too, but I'm fed up with hiding, fed up with being cautious. I'm going down to those lockers and I'm taking back what's his.

Thanks to the Academy's training rooms being available until an hour before curfew, I arrive to a still unlocked locker-room and its dozens upon dozens of lockers amongst its pitch-black innards. I tug at my hood and delve inside.

Footsteps treble across the barren walls. Night-time wind whistles through the piping. Thin rays of beaming light from the Vale mainland trickle through the windows, offering some kind of guide at least. I keep moving forward, worn wary eyes scanning the room for life.

"Wow. You were actually stupid enough to show."

I halt.

A silhouetted man moves closer, a smug grin etched on his face as he saunters forth from the darkness into the shallow light. Coincidental entrance, or pre-planned melodramatic staging.

Sky…

"Ooh! Not surprised?" He says, more amused than genuinely shocked. "That's a first. Bit disappointing, though. Your girly shrieks are amazing. It's like a guy's crotch getting rolled over by a Boarbatusk." A feigned high-pitched squeal strangles from his throat and he begins to laugh at his own joke.

I lour deeply at him. Still a total asshat.

Who else but them could've had it? Friday's sparring class, that's when it happened. They took it right from his person before they stuffed him into that locker. I lived in hope that they either discarded it or simply left it somewhere after failing to access it but, neither of those things came to pass. No other choice now.

I ask, "Where's Jaune's Scroll?"

"Hm? You're here for this little number?" Sky slips into his pocket and takes out a Scroll, waving it about like some crumpled dollar bill. "No idea why you think it's so important, there's nothing interesting in this thing, but I can let you take it off my hands fo-"

So I do, snatching the device out of his hands before he could even finish whatever proposition he had planned. Doesn't matter what it was. Something obnoxious and anger-inducing, I'm sure.

Sky's glares incredulous at me before letting loose a scoff, "Hmph. Someone's time of the month?"

I grit out an unconcealed scowl, no point in hiding how I feel anymore, before diverting my attention to the newly reacquired Scroll. My eyelids narrow, scrupulous. How much am I willing to bet that they did something to do it after they brute-forced into it?

I glance back at Sky. He feigns a shrug. Definitely did something. Won't tell me what either. Would have better luck prying a carcass away from a coyote pack.

Put it in my back pocket. Deal with it later. I need to grab the other thing I came here for.

I stick out a hand to him. He looks at it, "…What? Want me to read your fortune or something? Down low? Gimme paw?" His brows scrunch together. "Okay, now you're boring me. What are you doing?"

"Jaune's sword," I demand. "Give it here."

"Can't. Pretty difficult to hand over something I don't have," he replies.

"You stole his Scroll."

He balks exaggeratedly, "That is a completely unfounded accusation, Liddell! For all you know, we just so happened to find it and were keeping it safety in our possession."

I narrow, "Well, aren't you just the perfect Samaritan."

His face sours, "…Mouthy."

A strange sense of pride wells within me, oddly humming in my chest, but I remain focused, "I want the sword back. Where is it?"

Sky's gaze dips to my fingers, flexing expectantly for Crocea Mors. He gurgles an irritable growl as though the act physically curdled his stomach twice over. Did he expect this encounter to go a different way? Did he expect something different from me? His mistake.

"You know, coming out here by itself was a dumb move Liddell-boy but," he smirks cockily. "You really shouldn't have come alone."

Here it comes.

Charging footsteps. From behind. Dodge!

Fatigue falters my reflexes. A palm presses on my skull, pushing me back. The back of my head bangs locker steel. Sensation short-circuits. The hand releases its grip and I crumble, my arm making a bone-shackling smacking sound on-contact. My voice throws out.

Aura soothes the wound. Awareness slowly creeps back to me. I hiss and creak my neck up. Russel, my assailant, cracks his knuckles intently as both he and Sky bare over me like ravenous hyenas. Blood drains from my face. I make a move to flee from the inevitable when a kick sucks the air from my lungs, and a stampede of boots begin to follow.

Pain. More pain. So much that I can't register anything but. Cheekbone shattered, knees disjointed, ribcage ripped into. Aura tells me this is untrue; body tells me the opposite, consciousness drifts loosely. I begin to forget where I am.

I can't breathe.

A voice yells out, "Bronzewing. The hell are you just standing there for?"

Another voice, huffing and puffing, chimes in, "Come get your licks in, man. Come on! You gotta take the opportunities you're given in life. No matter how-" My intestines sear. I cry out. "-Small!"

A third voice stutters, "Uh… L-lookout. Yeah. I should keep lookout. For anyone."

Grumbling. "That again."

"Suit yourself, Bronzewing."

I half-expect another kick. It doesn't come.

Rough hands tear off my blazer. I question, in my panic addled mind, what the purpose of that is. They grab hold of my hoodie.

They want my hoodie. They can't have my hoodie. I'll never let them have it. They took away Jaune. They're not taking it away from me. It's mine. They gave it to me.

My arms snatch at pincering hands. An instinctual defence mechanism. Fingernails dig deep into their skin.

You're not taking it from me. _You're not taking them from me!_

A blow, my chin snaps back but I refuse to let go. Another strike. Two. Agony jitters my arms weak and fell. My body is hurled around mercilessly as my hoodie is stripped away from me and I'm thrown raggedly back to the floor.

The stomping begins again. Harder. Faster.

"Uppity. Asshole!"

Face. Neck. Crown. Teeth's knocked down my throat. I choke on my own tongue. My eyes threaten to water.

"Sky."

I'm suffocating. Drowning. Pain turns dull. Can't feel. Can't think. Can't do anything.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You don't talk to me like that! You never, _ever_ , talk to me like that, you snivelling little pile of cowshit!"

I just want it all to stop.

"Hey!"

The blows halt. There's a break. Blue fades over me, crackling like static. Aura's gone. No defence anymore. No energy left. I feel like a corpse.

"Knock it off."

There's a second of inaction. Then, a puff of sucked in oxygen quickly followed by casual laughter, "…Heh. My bad. Got a little carried away there."

My dry throat hacks up dusty dirty saliva. I heave in deprived oxygen, but I don't try to stand. I'm given a moment's peace and I'll savour it gladly. I wait as consciousness crawls back to me.

Sky stretches, sighing in satisfaction, "Ahh! That's much better. Beating the crap out of someone really does make for great stress relief. I can see why you and Cardin do it so often, Russel."

"We're here because of you, man. You're the one who wanted to 'cheer up Cardin'. Don't piss all over that before we've even gotten started," Russel says, mildly annoyed, but only that. He's not bothered in the slightest that Sky almost crushed my larynx. It's not like he was dragging him back, physically holding him back from finishing the job.

"Mm-hm. Thanks Mom," Sky hums half-heartedly. He picks, what I assume to be my hoodie, off the ground and tosses it. "Bronzewing. Hold onto this. Could use it for a dumpster fire or something when we're finished."

My fingers twitch. That's mine.

"Wh-what're we gonna do?" Bronzewing asks.

Sky prolongs a hum, loud enough that I can hear him clearly, "Hm. I'm not sure. How about we undress him, stuff him into a locker and send him to Vale?" He pops his lips mockingly. "Oh! Wait, we already did that to his buddy! Course, Cardin wanted to do that to him but hey, Jauney made a decent replacement. Am I right?"

My hand balls into a fist. He thinks he's so damn funny.

Footsteps close in. He kneels right above me, barring a smarmy grin, and whispers in my ear, "I can see why you keep him around. Anyone would feel better about themselves standing next to crap stacked as tall as him."

"...Y-you."

He blinks, "Come again?"

I shudder with tension, my strength slowly returning, as I gradually begin to push myself until I'm on hands and knees. I repeat myself, clearly for them all to hear.

"Fuck. You." My head snaps up and I snarl, "You manipulative, self-absorbed, dickhead!"

There's a delayed reaction among the three as my voice resounds within the piping. A moment of observation, as if searching for something to change, for me to retract my statement and begin sniffling and cowering for them to step all over. For that much present panic and fear I felt every time I've had the misfortune to run into to overwhelm and corrupt me once again.

"Ew. Foul-mouthed," Sky tuts. "Don't use such filthy language, Liddell. You'll ruin your demure femboy image."

"Go to hell."

Nothing. The heat in my chest doesn't waver. I'm not afraid. I'm too angry to be afraid.

Russel bares his teeth, "When the hell did you grow the balls, Liddell?"

"The moment you bastards screwed over Jaune!" I roar at him as I continue slowly climbing back to my feet.

"He told you?" A distant Bronzewing queries, coating himself in the darkness.

"You're not subtle," I spit, using the locker to steady myself. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?! You harass: you humiliate, you assault! What's the point?! Nobody did anything to you, Jaune didn't do anything to you! Do you think people are just your punching bags you can beat over and over and expect nothing to come from it?! Well you're wrong!"

Bronzewing takes a step away from his teammates. Not to run away, but as if subconsciously distance himself from their actions. You played your part, asshole.

"You pushed Jaune too far. He's leaving Beacon," I narrow. "A man is about to abandon his dream because you arseholes were too stupid to understand that people aren't your damn toys! You're all responsible for this!"

Weiss may have been callous and ultimately apathetic towards him, but I would never forget everything CRDL has done to Jaune: the alleyway, the incident, everything they did to him that I couldn't see. They're just as responsible for destroying his dream as she was. They've warranted all this anger.

"Hear that, Russel? Cardin's got one already," Sky laughs merrily. "You're falling behind, buddy!"

He grunts, grumbling something under his breathe, somewhat irritated.

Sky laughed. Russel's irritated? That's it? That's how they react to the reality of their actions?! They just confirmed that this was the first time they had heard of such a decision and that's how they treat this? Like a bloody football game?!

I scream, apoplectic. "I-is this some sort of game to you people?!"

"Yeah, I don't think you're as clued in as you believe you are, Liddell-boy," Sky says, somewhat bemused by my reaction. "People break. We're not morons. We know exactly what we're doing."

They… knew?

They actually understood what they were doing to him? To me? To everyone else they're going after? The revelation is mindboggling to me. Every other bully I'd been forced to deal with back home have never been this self-aware. To them, and I assumed to CRDL, it was a spot of fun. A chance to play around with people however they liked because why the hell not? CRDL knew the damage they were doing to people? 'They got one already?'

Then, the reason they were going after Jaune is because, "You wanted him to leave."

Sky hums, neither fully agreeing nor disagreeing, "That's generalizing our motivations a bit. One of us wanted him out, the team just works together to get him out. Makes for a great teamworking exercise if you ask me," he grins. "It also means less competition when we graduate. More work for little old me? I sure as hell won't complain."

That's what they've been doing. One of them doesn't like someone? They haze them until it becomes too much to bare and they leave. To them, what happened with Jaune is considered a success, and something they want to replicate with the other students.

They were never going to leave me alone. My plan was doomed from the start. I was wasting my time.

I cling to the locker's edge. This is all so screwed up.

"Sky, the hell are you doing?" Russel smacks him across the shoulder, frowning. "You're monologuing. Reel it in, damn it."

"Yeah, seriously," Bronzewing calls from the darkness. "You're starting to sound like a comic book villain here, man."

Sky rolls his eyes, "Oh, shush. I'm having fun."

"Your idea of 'fun' might as well be pulling the limbs off of insects!" I shout at him. The very idea that any of them could find any enjoyment in ruining people's lives makes me feel gross.

"Insects? Bleh. Never," he says, before appearing contemplative. "Though, I have ripped off the wings off of butterflies before. You ever seen the way they squirm once they lose the first arm? It's hilarious! It's like they're drowning, and they forgot how to swim!"

I retch. Can't tell if he's lying or not but, the fact that I have to question his character like that is sickening all the same, "You're disgusting."

"And you're still talking," he narrows. "It's getting pretty annoying."

I straighten up, staring right back at Sky's daggered eyes. It was always an non-reactive response he wanted, for me to stew quietly while his words dug away at me. He found that thrilling, I'm sure. He doesn't like it when I actually fight back. It pesters him, niggles away at that fragile ego he owns.

He wants me quiet and angry. I'm only giving him half. I'll contend with whatever they have planned when they attempt it, but I won't give him that satisfaction anymore.

"I had a thought," Sky begins. "See, now that Jauney's gone, Cardin has an open slot in his timetable that, after that incident during class is dealt, he's very keen to fill in and I think he knows who with. Someone's been bothering him, personally. Someone you seem very close to."

"Pyrrha?"

He shakes his head, "No, not her. She's annoyingly talented but, Cardin thinks she fits. He wants to surpass her, not destroy her." He folds his arms. "Think, Liddell. Who doesn't fit so well in your bunch?"

I gaze down in thought. Assuming they've been watching me socialize then, there's four people that I consider myself decently acquainted with: Jaune was already a target and he's leaving, Pyrrha's been debunked, there's no possible way they would think going after Yang is a good plan so, via process of elimination…

No.

 _No he's not._

"He's a bit on the fence about it but, with a little push here and there," he grins. "Bye, bye, little re-"

 _Crack!_

Sky reels back, forcingly bitten down on his tongue and cursing up a storm. Distant pain shoots up my knuckles and I feel the smaller two pop into places they shouldn't but, I don't care. I don't care. I'm not letting them touch Ruby. As long as I'm still breathing, they will **_never_** touch Ruby!

A fist collides with my jaw. I fold and tumble to the floor again. Through my heated adrenaline, I move to bound back up again when a boot pins me on the neck and my right arm is pulled back. Further. Further.

"Russel, no!" Bronzewing cries.

"We all want him gone, right?! A marksmen's no good to anyone with a shattered fucking arm!"

I panic, wriggling to fight out of his grasp. He applies more pressure to my throat and I'm choking. He bends my arm back further. Further. Even further! My feet kick wildly but connect with nothing. Foot to back and he's pulling my arm back further than it ever had any right to be. He's going to tear it off. He's going to tear my arm off!

Suddenly, the pressure stops.

Like untightening rope, the agony rupturing my arm begins to ease away Finally, it's released, and I instinctively cradle the strained limb with my other arm. Sounds of crackling bone catches my attention. I gaze up finding Russel, his wrist grinding and wrestling against a vice-grip, grunting as his face contorts and churns.

A blanket of golden hair stands between us.

"Y-Yang?!"

"Oh shit! Not you!" Sky screams. He scurries down the hall, towards Bronzewing, scuttling behind him with his fingers latching onto his shoulder blades. A human shield.

The act startles Bronzewing, "W-woah! Sky?! What are you-"

"You were supposed to be on lookout! Shut up and stand still!" He hisses. Such an extreme reaction. I flicker between him and Yang and I begin to piece the dots together. So, that's 'her way' huh? Probably squealed the moment she got her hands on him.

Russel squirms, his futile attempts at breaking Yang's grasp fuelling a frustration that grows and grows.

"You bimbo bitch!" He snarls, curls up a fist and swings for her chin.

But, before the blow could even be considered to make contact, Yang pulls his arm in the opposite direction, hurling his balance out of proportion, slides into a battle stance and _slams_ her entire fist downward straight in the side of Russel's head. His skull cracks the locker floor, rebounding from the sheer force, as his body weightlessly tumbles like a sack of potatoes.

I eye him, waiting to see if he'd try to stand.

He doesn't. What a shame.

Yang pulls back, flexing the fingers of her thrusted fist. Unusually quiet, she turns to Sky.

Red. Her eyes are alight with scorching red, searing away the once pale lilac, a torrid blaze burning brightly a blistering fury beneath them. Darkness shrivels away under their fiery light. My gut twists at the sight of it. I've seen Yang angry before; at stupid things like video games, pointless arguments, or cockroaches.

This. This is a deathly rage.

" _What the hell did you say about my little sister?"_

Sky's terror-stricken. His gaze fixes at Russel's, still unmoving and I can almost read his thoughts to a tee. 'If that's what he did to him, what the hell is she going to do to me?'

He shrieks, "Oh, screw this!" And boots his human shield in our direction.

Bronzewing bounces off of Yang like a basketball hitting a wall. Barely phased, she immediately grabs for his scarf and collar, preventing him from fleeing. He gazes up at her fearfully.

"Uh. H-hello," he waves tensely. Her red eyes narrow and he flinches. "Oh man, those eyes are so angry."

With his tormentor momentarily occupied, Sky makes a beeline for Russel, heaving an arm over his shoulder. "Russel, get up. We're leaving!"

"Ah'm…" Russel rasps, swallowing some teeth. "I'm not finished with her yet."

"Yes, you are," snaps Sky. "Shut up and bolt it!"

Forcibly dragging his partner to his feet, Sky lurches in retreat, fleeing like a scampering rat, ramming the locker-room door open as they both make their escape.

Without their teammate.

"G-guys!" Bronzewing calls out. "Guys! I'm caught! Man down! Come back! Don't leave me alone with the scary girl- They're gone."

His hand lowers. He knows it too. They're not coming back for him. Sky didn't even glance back at him when he was staging his retreat. Guy was their sacrificial lamb.

Not that I have any sympathy to give. My pity pond's drained at the moment.

I push myself back up, massaging my bruised jaw, before turning my attention to Bronzewing. Yang pulls him around to face me.

"H-hi, Liddell," he chuckles nervously. I notice, gazing down, that clutched tightly between his quivering is my dark blue hoodie. He hadn't let go of it during the whole debacle. The passing thought came when I was on the ground why Yang would bother holding onto him of all people but, guess that answers that question.

I scowl at him. He shirks, offering the hoodie to me like it's an olive branch.

"Here. Take it. Please don't hurt me," he shakes.

I grab it away, turning it over in my hands. A quick analysis. Seems to still be intact, no loose threads or noticeably marks.

I return to him, business in mind, "Jaune's sword. Where is it?"

"I-I don't know."

I glare, "Liar."

"No! Seriously! Sky wasn't lying! We never took Jaune's sword!" He squeaks, hands flailing. "During sparring, what Cardin did, that wasn't supposed to happen! He didn't plan to do that! None of us did! We didn't even think about the sword when he did that, we thought Cardin was getting expelled! The sword didn't even seem worth stealing anyway!"

…No. It wouldn't be, would it?

None of them would know.

I sigh, "Let him go."

"Hear that?" Yang says, fixing Bronzewing an evil grin. "Start running."

He trembles, "Gladly."

As soon as Yang releases him, Bronzewing scuttles out the door and out of our hair.

I pat my pockets, checking both Scrolls which are thankfully unharmed -What would I do without you, Aura?- and I let out a relieved sigh. Somehow that whole exchange ended up going both better and worse than I expected.

Guess Russel didn't take what happened at Tukson's store too personally if he and Sky are cool again. Not like I care or anything, just didn't expect him to be there for those reasons.

I was so sure they took Crocea Mors but, with all the heat Cardin had and without knowing its true personal value, there's no way they would've risked it. Not for an ordinary sword and shield that's basically dollar store commerce compared to their tech. Somebody would've noticed something.

So, working off of the logic that the person who took it knew about its personal history, there's only two people here at Beacon that would take it. But then, if either of them took it…

Why haven't they given it back yet?

"Hey."

Yang's voice reaches me, and my eyes shut in instant regret.

Right. In my relief, I've forgotten that her being here was a bad thing. A very bad thing.

She had to save me again.

Running the cloth texture through my hands, I silently put my hoodie back on and pluck my uniform blazer from off the ground, all while feeling her fixed gaze trickle over me.

I glance at her over my shoulder but not anything more. I made a vow and I intend on keeping it.

"…Thanks," I say. "See you."

I make a move to leave but before I take even three steps, Yang steps in to stand in my way. I feel a ping of chagrin. Did I really expect her to simply let me leave? Yeah, better luck teaching penguins how to fly, dumbass.

"You want me to move? Make me," she says. "You know how."

…Too fatigued: Can't outrun or outmanoeuvre her like this, not if I couldn't dodge Russel. Can't push through, because that ever had a chance of succeeding, and I doubt she'd accept a 'I'll tell you later' after ditching her twice so, therefore, the only course of action available to me is to say,

"No."

"No?" She parrots.

"No," I repeat. "I have to go."

I swerve to the right, hoping that my final answer would be enough to let me pass.

A hand snaps up and hooks around the inside of my arm. Stupid bloody optimism. The one thing that never works out for me.

"Yang-"

"Before you ask: Yes. I can and will do this all night," she says matter-of-factly.

It's not boasting, either. She's not even using her full strength right now. Her grip's apparent but, I can still feel the circulation running through my arm. I know that if Yang wanted to grasp it harder, she's totally capable of it but, with our divide in power, it wouldn't be necessary. She wants to keep me here, not hurt me.

I sigh, "This doesn't change anything, Yang. You're wasting your time. Let go."

I push my arm into her hand. Not genuinely in an attempt to escape, A sign of defiance. Just because she had me, doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and give up.

Red eyes flash at me. I'm uneasy, but I stare back at them.

So we stand here, uncomfortably close, stuck in almost perpetual darkness with the only source of light being the disapproving glint of her burning red eyes. Minutes pass at a trepid rate as we stand in a close standoff, staring down the other, waiting for one of us to forfeit first. It's tonight of all nights that Yang's decided to be extra stubborn. Boredom would've toppled her on a normal day, she hasn't even said a word since we started.

My stomach growls painfully. She's just had dinner. In a war of attrition, I've already lost. That's why she's not saying anything, she already understands that I've lost.

I'm not going to get anywhere this way.

I exhale softly, "It's nothing you have to concern yourself with, okay?"

Yang's eyes widen, "What."

"This isn't your problem to fix. It's mine," I tell her, averting from her gaze. "You heard what Sky said, you have your own things you need to deal with."

"You can't be serious."

"She might be surrounded by strong fighters and it's pretty redundant to tell you so but, you should look after Ruby. In-case Cardin decides to go after her," I say earnestly. "Don't let them do to her what they did to Jaune."

"Eren-"

"It's fine," I coax, smiling gently. "You don't have to worry about m-"

" _Stop it!"_

I flinch, taken aback. Her red eyes are scathing, seething. Her voice cracks, "Stop telling me it's fine! It's not fine! You're not fine! None of this is fine! It's a mess! Everything is a total mess! Stop lying and telling me it's fine!"

I stutter, "I-I'm just trying to save you the troub-"

"Well, don't! Okay?!" She cuts me off. "I never asked you to, so don't!"

I wince. Bad. This wasn't what I was aiming for, the complete opposite really. I jerk back in an attempt to gain some much-needed distance but, Yang's grasp refuses to weaken.

I swallow, "Wh-why are you getting so angry?!"

"Because I thought we were beyond this!"

Tremors, slight tremors vibrate through her arm. The intensity in her grip remains true but, something more than ordinary anger resonates through it. I gaze, confused, at her, searching for it.

"I thought I wouldn't have to do this anymore, to keep fighting you to be there for you but you're still not letting us. You're still pushing us away. I thought that you finally trusted us," she says, a weary frustration cools her furious grimace. "It's like nothing's changed."

The feeling registers and I gasp.

 _"You don't need to push me out."_

Hurt. I hurt her when I did that. They put so much work in getting me to open up to them all the months ago and I made it feel like we were relapsing, that her efforts were a waste of time and I rejected her.

That wasn't what I meant. This isn't her problem.

Maybe… I should tell her that. At the very least, I have to make her understand why I did what I did. My shoulders rise and fall hesitantly.

"…This isn't about trust," I admit. "This is about self-reliance."

She appears somewhat puzzled. I keep talking, "I do trust you. I trust you guys more than a lot of friends I've made in my life. After everything you've done for me, I know you'd do your best to look out for me, even if I don't ask for it."

It's a fact: One they've made clear over and over. They gave me help when someone else would've cast me out, when someone else would've ignored me, when someone else would've… had malicious intentions.

Pessimism and distrust aside, they earned that trust. It's not empty pleasantries. They would help me every time I'd ask for it.

"And that's the problem," I say. "Have you ever considered it strange that Ruby managed to find me that night? In the wilderness?"

Yang shrugs, "Not really, maybe once. Honestly, I just thought it was a stroke of good-"

"Luck," I finish, bitterly. The word tastes so cheap said out loud. "It was, wasn't it? Really good luck. It happens sometimes, it's not so weird, so I accepted it. Took a while, but I accepted it."

Miracles happen. They're rare, but not extinct. Shockingly, not every story on the news is about how shit the world is and how it's getting worse. I was just one of the rare ones. It was only the one time after all…

That's what I thought.

"Then it happened again: when you housed me. Then again, with Qrow, and again, when you all befriended me, and again, with the Entrance Exam, and again, when I was accepted, and again: again, again, again, again-" My voice loudens with every uttered word. "I'm too damn lucky!"

I suck in oxygen, "I should be out on the streets, but I'm not. I should be dead five times over, but I'm not. I should be all alone, but I'm not!"

Instead of homelessness, I got a comfortable woodland house. Instead of death, I squirmed my way into Beacon Academy.

Instead of loneliness, I found friends. Something I haven't truly had in years.

Yang eyebrows scrunch up, baffled, "That's not a bad thing! Why are you treating it like it is?"

"But I never earned any of it!" I shake my head. "I didn't do anything to deserve what I have, I couldn't even properly repay any of you for your help. My fortune just fell on me!"

It was Taiyang's kindness that let me live in his home. It was people with ten times the amount of training I had that have been keeping me alive. It was the initiative of others who had little reason to involve themselves with such an awkward, anti-social idiot.

Not me. Never me.

"What I have isn't because of me; It's because of everyone else, my dumb luck and that's not right. It's not fair. All I'm doing is dragging everyone else in to solve my problems and reaping the rewards once that's done without any consequences," I breathe. "And I can't accept that anymore."

In my gratitude, I've become too dependent. I'd pretend that this wasn't the case, that I was doing my part, but that's not true at all. They've never had to depend on me the same way I've depended on them.

They'd deny it, out of politeness or because they're just that damn altruistic, but it's the truth and if they don't need to depend on me to solve their own issues, then the very least I can do for them at this point is to become self-reliant so that they never feel like they have to deal with mine. I'm supposed to be their friend, not their problem-child.

That's why I have to do this. If not for my own self-respect, then for their peace of mind.

"CRDL is my problem and I have to deal with them myself," I nod, determined. "I'm going to fix this."

"How?"

I blink, somewhat phased by the sudden critical glint in Yang's eyes. I fidget, "I-I don't-"

"What's your plan?" She clarifies. "What are you doing? How are you 'fixing' this?"

Th-that, um…

"W-well, I got Jaune's Scroll back," I straighten up. "I tried to get Crocea Mors too but-"

"That was just there? Right now?" She asks bluntly.

"Y… yes," I nod.

"And you got it back by…?"

I'm aware of the answer but I'm reluctant to admit it, like it would hurt my cause by acknowledging it. I look away shamefully. I wasn't focused on a plan when I came down here but, that's little excuse.

I sigh, "I didn't quite think it through."

"By walking straight into an obvious ambush and, surprise! Getting ambushed," she frowns, unimpressed. "Come on, Eren! I can afford making those kinds of mistakes but you're smarter than that. What else did you do?"

There's a long silence…

"I was trying to be cautious."

"You didn't-"

"Jaune was involved, okay?!" I shout. "I couldn't risk making his life worse. I had to be careful!"

"You did _nothing!_ " Yang yells back. "You handed your leadership over to Weiss, kept lying to everyone about how 'fine' you were and did nothing!"

I… It wasn't…

She pulls me closer and scowls, "Your team is in shambles: Jaune is apparently leaving, your partner is nowhere to be seen and Weiss is shutting herself away from anyone who asked her about what happened. She spends so much time studying in your dorm that she's practically a shut-in."

W-Weiss?

She… What? Did I…? What I said to her…?

No.

"Th-things weren't supposed to go this bad," I say desperately. "I-I didn't want to make things worse."

That was the point, wasn't it? My involvement would've made things worse.

That's how it was back then, wasn't it?

"Well," Yang throws up an arm, as if shrugging. "Things seem pretty crappy from where I'm standing."

…Nothing worked. I was trying to prevent everything from getting worse but, it got worse anyway. I didn't do anything.

No. It's far worse than that.

I knew Jaune was being bullied. I knew who was doing it too, but I did nothing.

I knew nothing good would've come from Weiss constantly antagonising him, but I did nothing.

I knew exactly what he going through, how he felt, how much anguish he must've been in, but I did nothing.

And what I did do, I did just so I could guarantee I'd do nothing.

Everything Weiss did as leader of Team LABS wouldn't have happened if I didn't give the position to her. I enabled her, I empowered her, stroking her ego and deluding myself into thinking that nothing would go wrong and that everything would be okay with her at the helm.

But the truth is, I didn't do that for LABS. I didn't do that for the team.

I did that for me, because I was so afraid. Because I didn't want to lead. Because I didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of three people under a leadership that I didn't even want. I gave up the leadership for me. I hid and let everything transpire for me. I pushed everyone who could've helped away because of my desire for self-reliance, for self-respect.

I did nothing for me.

And that's so selfish.

Guilt rains heavily upon me, and my head dips, eyes downcast. I screamed at them, Weiss and CRDL, blaming them for what happened to Jaune, when the reality is that I'm just as much to do blame for him leaving as they are.

It's my fault Jaune's leaving, because I stood and did nothing.

Now that's pathetic…

"You promised her, you promised me that you would talk to us," Yang says, narrowing in on me. "Let. Us. In."

…Give it up. You've hurt her enough already.

"You can let me go now, Yang," I say, barely above a mumble. "I'm not going to run."

"Not yet." She pulls me forward…

And strong arms embrace me.

My blazer slips out of my hand. My mind doesn't even register it, I'm too shocked to. After having to chase my stupid self around these last two days, she's… comforting me.

Why?

"You need this," Yang whispers in my ear.

"I-I…" I choke. "I didn't want this. I wanted to deserve you. I didn't want to lose you."

"We were never prizes you had to win. We never thought you were a burden. The only thing I ever really wanted from you was to be honest with us," she says. "You can be a pretty cool guy when you're honest."

She always liked it when I was honest…

"You know," she says. "We never said we were going to solve it for you."

A-ah. Of course.

H-how stupid of me…

"I'm sorry," I apologize.

"I am so, so sorry," I say it again, because there aren't enough times I can say it. I wrap my arms around her waist, and repeat my apologies over and over that they stop sounding like words anymore. Just the manic ramblings of a smelly, hungry, tired, hypocritical idiot who deserves far less than he has. But, that line of thinking is what brought me to the mess that I am in the first place. At some point, I bury my face into Yang's shoulder, embracing her tightly.

She feels so warm. She's always been a sunny person, her smile, her eyes, her glowering personality. She's the light, here in this barren darkness. I know I'll have to let go eventually, and I'm prepared for all the embarrassment I'll have afterwards, but, right now, I don't want to ever let go.

"So," she whispers. "How did you feel now?"

"Like shit," I murmur, a small smile tugging at my lips. "But I'm starting to feel better now."

* * *

 **A/N:** Fuck. This. Chapter. This will either be the emotional height of the arc and the story so far, or it will be the most melodramatic trite ever and the signal that I really shouldn't have made drama a central focus. The amount of time I spent paining over Eren-Weiss rant scene and the Eren-Yang breakdown scene has been painful.

These are scenes that could ruin the characters if handled improperly and lord knows, I'm already on thin ice with Weiss' depiction so far, which is especially worrisome because she's actually my second favourite character in the show. Ruin my main character or ruin one of my favourite characters? The potential for failure is rife here. Thank god that this will be the last heavily emotional chapter for the next while. My god.

Ugh. Anyways, thank you all very much for waiting for this train-wreck and thank you very much for reading. What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Makes you want to eat cyanide? Know it made me want to. Be sure to let me know in the reviews. As always, constructive criticism is encouraged!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 – Made. Not Born.  
**

The locker-room door swings shut behind us. Side by side, Yang and I walk down the corridor, the dim lights are irradiating compared to the sheer darkness we were both engulfed in minutes before.

"How's the hand?" Yang asks.

"Uh, not great," I say, massaging it. "I think I might've bruised it."

Between the moment I lashed out at Sky and now, the shade around my knuckles have deepened from Scottish pale, to bleeding red, to even a dark purple. It's nothing that my Aura won't be able to heal, along with my jaw, but it's disconcerting to see your skin as dirty as uprooted beetroot.

"Lemme see?"

I raise it up for her, barely withholding a gasp as she tugs it closer, running her eyes brazenly across the blending bruises sharply. I try my best not to look awkward. 'Try' being the key word here.

Yang hisses, "Oof. Hit 'em with the wrong knuckles. Rookie mistake. You could've shattered your hand this way."

"I've never hit anyone before!" I protest, retracting and rubbing my hand. "Never wanted to."

My fingers glide over my blotched knuckles, the afterimage of the strike calling back as if I'd just thrown it. Even at my angriest, even back when I was a Highschool loner, I've never lost my temper so badly as to actually hit someone. I hated fighting, I still hate fighting. After each of those battles in the Emerald Forest, the first thing that always came to mind was, 'Thank God that was over. Hope that's the last of them for a while.'

That being said…

I allow myself a small smile. I will never forget that punch.

Yang playfully bumps her shoulder against mine.

"See," she lifts up a fist, pointing to her two large knuckles. "You want to lead using these two here. They're the strongest ones. Less likely to injure yourself and it lines with the arm so you can get all your power out."

To demonstrate, she clenches, pulls back and fires a straight right in front of us, shifting the air around us and shattering the imaginary man's chin into pieces.

"Bam! Clean hit. Knuckles intact. Broke an asshole's nose. Good day to be you. Nothing else to it!"

I roll my eyes, "Have you ever considered that teaching people this way might be better than punching them in the face first?"

She glances at me. I send back a knowing look. Yeah, that's right, I heard the horror stories from Ruby. Her idea of teaching someone unarmed combat is normally to take away their weapon and then fight them over and over until they get better. There's a reason I never went to her about my Semblance, I didn't want to have my jaw broken!

…Speaking in context, of course. Ow.

Yang shrugs, "Eh, I don't think so. Better to just jump in and learn as you go, I'd say. Take it straight on. You'll never get anywhere tiptoeing around everything."

Huh. That's… certainly a philosophy to live life by.

"Also," she grins. "It wouldn't nearly be as fun!"

Ah! There we go. That's a far more believable reason.

Battle maniacs, I sigh.

"By the way," I start. "How did you find me?"

"Luck," she replies.

I shoot her an unimpressed glare.

She laughs, waving me off, "No, really! Heather fell asleep at the dinner table again, so my team and I were carrying her back to the room. On the way back, I spotted you heading somewhere so, I got the girls to haul Heather back and tailed you. I wasn't even searching for you when that happened!"

I let out a quiet huff. Here I thought I was being stealthy. Has anything I've done in the past hour paid off for me.

Yang smirks, evidently proud of 'ruining' my scheme, "What can I say? Your good luck must be rubbing off on me."

"Then Mister Liddell's luck must be rubbing off on all of us."

Electricity shoots up my spine, quickly followed by a harrowing sense of dread. When I hid away these past couple of days, I did it with the explicit intent that I wouldn't be found by anyone. Not Yang, not Ruby, I didn't want anyone to find me until I wanted them to.

However, that doesn't mean there were certain people I wanted less to find me than others, and the tall, glowering, crop-wielding woman behind me was at the very top of that list.

My face squirms, a line of curses parading in my head as it does so. Yang spins around and leans a hand on my shoulder, both to appear casual as well as to provide reassurance, as tries her best to pretend like nothing's wrong.

"Heya teach," she greets. "Nice evening don't ya think?"

"Sparkling," Professor Goodwitch says drily. "I'm aware of your absences these past couple of days, Mister Liddell."

I shut my eyes and take a breath. You knew this was coming. No more hiding. Take it head on.

Forcing myself through my hesitation, I turn around to meet my teacher. Her eyes instantly narrow in on the bruise on my jaw. I lift up a hand to cover, as if it would make the wound magically disappear from her like she never saw it in the first place. I breathe.

"M-Miss, I-"

"As much as I wish to stand here and lecture you on the importance your education will have for your Huntsman career," she says, her scowl smoothing out. "That will need to wait. I'm here to retrieve you. Your presence has been requested."

Yang and I share a look, each as perplexed as the other. Somebody wants to see me? That's never really been a thing that happens before. Can't say I like the change.

She nods, "Okay. I'll come too."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Xiao Long," say Professor Goodwitch. "Mister Liddell was specifically requested to come alone."

Alone. As in, I want whatever I say to you to be for your ears only alone or, I don't want you to have kind of emotional support for when I emotionally rail you into the ground alone? Either way, this has to be about something important.

Anxiety levels: Rising.

"Uh, alright then," Yang blinks. She turns to me, still unsure of what's going on but has kind of decided to accept things for what they are. "I'll go grab Ruby. We'll talk when you're done with… whatever the hell Goodwitch is taking you to."

I bob my head, "Mm. I'll be there this time, I promise."

"Break it at your own peril," she simpers. "Later!"

I smile, "See you."

After seeing me off with a two-finger salute, Yang walks away down the corridor and vanishes behind a turn. Only Professor Goodwitch and I now. I mentally coax myself in preparation for what would be a lengthy and uncomfortably quiet trip.

"This way," leads the Professor. I obey and follow-in.

"I-if you don't mind me asking," I stutter nervously. "Wh-where are we going, Miss?

* * *

The Disciplinary department.

Or, more specifically, one of its select interrogation rooms. Of course, that's not what Professor Goodwitch calls it exactly but, with its claustrophobic spacing, starkly unappealing colouring, and its single-light hovering above the table like the beams of an encircling police chopper, I feel like I'm about to be booked for first-degree murder. All that's missing is the one-way glass and an unempathetic chain-smoking detective with a froggy voice. There is a window behind me but, Vale's luminous nightlife can't be seen on this side of the building. Just the pitch-black silhouette of the Emerald Forest and beyond.

My fingers trill against the table. It's been roughly ten minutes since Professor Goodwitch left me in here, and the waiting's starting to stress me out. What makes it worse is that I'm almost certain I know what this is about. It's as she said, a stern lecture and a slap on the wrist would've satisfied her if this were about my absences.

So, Miss Goodwitch probably knows already. Wonderful. Can't imagine how she ever found out.

Thanks, Sky. You asshat.

Then again, maybe I should tell her? It's not like keeping it hidden has done me any favours thus far. Cardin's in hot water already, I can dip him and the rest of team CRDL even deeper if I confess here. She is the head of Disciplinary action and, knowing her, there's no way in hell Professor Goodwitch would let them off light for it. She'd know how to handle them. This… this could be for the best.

So was giving up leadership. Look what happened there.

…I sigh and fold my arms on the table, lying my droopy head to rest on them. God, I miss beds.

The door handle creaks. I straighten up, speedily sorting myself to look like someone who totally wasn't about to fall asleep, and direct my attention keenly towards the door. It opens. There's an unfamiliar click of shoes, not belonging to Professor Goodwitch's sharp heels.

The first thing I register is a piping hot mug of coffee and, as if my head deciphered enough information, my body seizes up. I thought that spending half-an-hour being scrutinized under the critical eye of Professor Goodwitch would be the worst-case scenario here. That, at the very least, the situation could in no way become any more stressful.

Being interrogated by Professor Ozpin, the bloody headmaster of Beacon Academy? Worse. Definitely worse. If he of all people consider it necessary to talk to a student instead of letting another teacher do it, then something is really, _really,_ wrong.

Professor Ozpin takes a careful sip from his mug.

"Eren Liddell," he says. More a statement than a greeting.

I swallow, "H… h-hello, sir." He gives my bruise a fixed look and I fidget against my seat.

It's now that I notice that he's dragging something in his other hand. A red wagon. Looks much like the one the library gave me just over a week ago. Quite alike, really.

Actually, looking at a bit more closely… I think that is the same wagon I had. At a glance it appears as though it's hardly been touched but, on closer inspection: the back end has some jagged ends jutting unnatural inward, several holes dot the bottom like bullet wounds, and the front wheels have been replaced entirely with what seems to be training wheels from a bicycle. Seems functional enough. Grampa would be impressed.

Professor Ozpin approaches, setting the wagon aside and placing his mug gently on the table before taking a seat in front of me.

This is the first time I've ever been face-to-face with the man before. Every other time he'd be up above and out of reach or I'd be with a group and blend in. Previous headmasters always seemed so distant to me. Having the attention of one is… honestly, pretty nerve-racking.

"Do you recognise this?" Ozpin nudges towards the wagon.

I nod, "Y-yes."

"From what I've been informed, it was brought in back in quite the state. By your word, you had an accident after taking out a large quantity of books. It was a weight too much for you to handle, you couldn't control the wagon, and the incident in question ensued," he says, before flicking his eyes. "You failed to mention where this incident took place."

"U-uh, w-well," I stutter, playing with my fingers underneath the table. "I-I wasn't asked, sir. I-I didn't think anyone would've cared about the 'Where' and 'How'. Just the 'What'."

"I see," he pushes his glasses back. "The assisting student deduced that 'With someone of your build' the most likely occurrence would've been that you lost your grip climbing up one of the many stairwells and the wagon was smashed coming back down."

…I mean, it's a logical deduction but, still, I toiled away carrying the books up those stairs.

I'm proud we made it that far. My non-existent muscles are troopers, jerk.

"But we both know that's not what happened."

I resist wincing. Professor Ozpin takes another sip from his mug, "Two days prior, it was reported that one of the corridors in student accommodation had suffered severe damages: Broken windows, damaged flooring and ceiling, several torn book pages, red shrapnel that, after inspection, was concluded to belong to your wagon."

Two days prior?

 _'Okay. For some reason, Goodwitch wants to come take a look at the wagon. Says it's important to something or other.'_

…Ah. Then that's why. I took the books from the courtyard along with the remaining covers that managed to survive. Without the library codes on the front, plus the dozens of copies they'd have on backup, they wouldn't have known I was involved until I brought in the wagon.

However… That is curious.

"Despite how fortuitous we are for Professor Goodwitch's Semblance, several of these items were beyond repair and require replacement. Now, I am aware that the students here are being trained specifically for combat and are encouraged to experiment and expand on their repertoire as they study here but…" He gazes at me critically, "That was not a combat arena, Mister Liddell. That was destruction of property. It is disrespectful to me, to the members of staff, and to what Beacon academy as a whole stands for and it will not be tolerated."

A wave shudders through me, I have to clamp my arm to prevent myself from freaking out. The headmaster himself considers what happened to be a serious offense. That's not something I can lightly.

"S-sir," I breathe. "What happened… Th-that is- What I mean- It wasn't-"

"You weren't responsible."

I blink, nonplussed.

Professor Ozpin chuckles light before taking another sip, "Come now, if you were, we'd be having a very different conversation. Such as: 'When did you become capable of such raw power?'"

"A-ah…" I release my arm and calm myself. Of course he'd know, he was there the whole time for my assessment during the Entrance exam. If there's anybody who'd understand exactly what I'm capable of, it would be him. That's good, I suppose.

He continues, "But that doesn't change the fact that you took responsibility for something you shouldn't have and thus covered for the true culprits."

Hold on, my ears prick up. Did he just…

Yes, he did, and I don't think it's only a coincidence either.

Stoically, Professor Ozpin finishes the rest of coffee, pushing the empty mug aside, and rests his clasped hands on the table, "Why did you lie, Eren?"

"...Before I answer that, s-sir," I fumble slightly. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

There's a moment where Professor Ozpin just stares peculiarly at me before he leans back, "I don't see the harm."

"You know already, don't you?"

That's raised his eyebrows. Think I might've been a bit blunt with that.

"Wh-what I mean to say is," I start, steading my breath. "You said 'culprits' not 'culprit.' Normally, people tend to assume there's only one culprit after a crime a-and, from what you would've found, th-there's nothing there to imply there was more."

There's the damage Cardin caused with the wagon and the damage to the courtyard but, that's nothing to suggest that it was more than one person. This Academy's full of strong fighters that could've caused that much chaos individually.

"Y-yet, you were certain that there were more. Like… you already pieced it together," I say, doubt slowly creeping closer. "A… Am I wrong?"

He pauses, "No. You are correct."

Alright. That makes me partial right as opposed to being a total dunce. Plus one competency point.

"There's another thing. This isn't entirely about the wagon incident, is it?" I wager. "If it were, you would've brought me in for questioning earlier. You already investigated the scene, you concluded it was someone else after I brought the wagon in, why not bring me in earlier to confess? Unless there was something more important that you were focused on."

Sure, I've been… absent these past couple of days, but he had all the way from Friday through to Tuesday to get someone to sit me down and reveal what happened. Or even have me stay for when they examined the wagon, interrogated me then and there, but they didn't and if this is about what I think this is about…

"I-is that right, sir?"

Another, almost contemplative, moment of silence. I shift against my seat, aware that I've essentially given everything away whether I'm right or wrong. Knowing that doesn't bother me so much, it was going to happen one way or another today. Doing it this way, letting everything out in the open, is more likely to help at this point than if I kept up the façade.

Besides, I'm done keeping schtum for their benefit.

Suddenly, a smile broaches across Professor Ozpin's face. The brown in his eyes lightening, as if they're swelling. His composition doesn't womble even an inch, I'd struggled to call his display 'emotional' per say but still, this is the most emotion I've ever seen the man show before.

He burrows a hand into his pockets, "I think we can do without the pretence now, don't you?"

Ozpin places his Scroll down and, spawning from a startling magnetic interface almost imbued within the table itself, beams an illumine blue hologram. Through a flurry of directories too quick and too many to process, it lands on seven folders, each labelled and containing a detailed report on particular students supplied with mugshots.

Amongst these profiles is my name.

"As you may have noticed, several newly inducted students have not been attending class lately, yourself included," he explains. Just needed to include that last part, didn't he?

Yeah, still pretty guilty about that.

"Now, it's not irregular to find students less enthused about the studious portion of our curriculum skipping and attending classes when they please but, we've never had students abandon their attendance within the first week before. Certainly not in bulk either."

I hum and glean at the images, thoroughly scanning each students features to memory. Not including myself: there's a pudgy-looking girl, a boy with shark teeth, a girl with goat antlers, a tall but lanky guy, and a boy with white dog ears.

Add Jaune to the list and that makes seven; Four humans, three faunas, and this isn't even counting the ones still holding out or even the second-year girl in the sophomore common room.

My bruised knuckle pops as I clench my fist. They're certainly ambitious bastards, aren't they?

"We brought each of them in for questioning but, none of them were willing to talk," says Professor Ozpin. "Professor Goodwitch has had her suspicions set on a collective effort from a certain team within your class. She also mentioned that yourself and one of your teammates had a couple of incidents in her Sparring classes."

Therefore, I'd have much more incentive to answer his questions and help them out than the other students do. That's why he bringing me in now.

"So…" I budge back into my seat. "You want me to talk, then?"

"Not quite," he says. "What I want is your help."

I'm taken aback, "T-telling you what I know wouldn't help?"

"It would be beneficial, yes, but unfortunately the word of a single boy can only solve so much," he answers, pushing back his glasses. "Especially one with cause for a grudge."

 _Steam hisses from the tip of an onyx mace, standing above discarded sword and shield._

I balk, "I wouldn't lie about something like that!"

"I know you wouldn't, Eren," he coaxes gingerly. "But, you have a bias, and due course demands that we take every possibility into consideration before we make our judgement. I don't think you would lie, but you do have the motivation to lie against the perpetrators and we cannot ignore that."

I wilt, "Is… is that really how this works?"

He appears apologetic, "It's unfortunate. Working without evidence and just your testimony, the process would be long and very time-consuming." And by the time they'd finish confirming everything and ready to punish CRDL, Jaune will have left Beacon already. Damn. "Which is why we need more than just _your_ word."

I glance up at the Scroll screen, the implications of what he's suggesting quickly clicking into place yet, I'm finding it difficult to fully comprehend.

"You want _me_ to get them to confess?"

Me? Over anyone else?

"I'm getting on in life, Eren. Why, in no time at all, I'll be approaching my forties and a midlife crisis that I guarantee will be painful for all involved," he chuckles, oddly uncaring that he's halfway through his life already. "I'm a generation ahead of these students. They wouldn't even consider that I'm even capable of understanding them and their plights. However…"

"I… I don't-"

"You've suffered the way they have. You can empathize and understand the pain they're going through, the fear they have," he explains. "With their confessions, we would have overwhelming evidence against the perpetrators and will be able to put an end to this permanently."  
My lips fumble, tempted to say something but I don't know what that something is. My head's still struggling to accept that the Professor is really asking me.

He budges down his glasses, not so much to remove them, but enough that there's practically nothing in the way of our eyes, "You want to stop this. I want my students to succeed. I need you to get those confessions, Mister Liddell. For their sakes, if nobody else's."

I choke on the weight of his words.

"Now, I must take my leave."

Feeling he's said enough, Professor Ozpin picks up his Scroll, the hologram dissipating like broken glass. He stands up, nabbing his empty mug on the way, and heads for the door, leaving me with his besotted request.

…Wrong, that wasn't a request, there was no offer, no chance to decline. He didn't even wager the possibility that I would fail in that conversation, he told me everything he and the rest of the staff know about the situation and is sending me out to sort it all. It was like a mission briefing: Here's your objective, show me results.

Faith.

That's it, isn't it? Pure faith. He brought me here for that sole purpose, to get me to help him. Not to confess, not to take punishment or admit to wrong-doings, he wanted me in particular to assist in solving this problem for him.

Why? Why me? Why is he picking me to do this for him? He could've picked anyone else, someone way more socially-savvy than I am for the job. Why am I somehow worth the trust to help the Headmaster of Beacon academy to prevent other students from dropping their careers? Why is he giving me that faith?

No.

Why is he giving me that faith, _again?_

"Sir!"

I shoot up from my seat. Professor Ozpin turns around.

"Why…" I swallow, tongue twisting. "Why did you pick me to be team leader of LABS."

"You don't understand?"

"A leader is supposed to be charismatic: bold, someone people would look up to. Someone that can inspire and make people aspire to be like," I say, shaking my head. "That's not me at all."

He looks at me pointedly, "Do you believe I made the wrong choice?"

I rub my wrist, "I can't see how it was the right one..."

It's not my intention to insult him, but that's how I truly feel. I simply want to understand why these people believe I'm so deserving of it all.

Again, Professor Ozpin takes out his Scroll, swiping away through it for a second longer than before, and then places back on the table for presentation. I can tell from the brief buffering time before that this is a video, clocking in at almost four hours thirty-nine minutes. Bit bulky. It finishes loading and what first appears on-screen is the shimmering shade of emerald green. A forest.

The Emerald Forest. This must be pre-recorded footage from the initiation. Don't know what they used exactly to capture all of this but, I'm not foolish enough to doubt Remnant's technology after all this time.

Finger to screen, Professor Ozpin fast forwards. The footage mobilizes, as if the camera were alive, hoping from location to location. Out of place colours pop on from the emerald between internals, can't quite make out what they were.

The footage halts at a bridge and a startling voice blares from the audio.

" ** _That's enough!"_**

a reasonable distance: Weiss, Blake, Jaune, and myself are standing on a thin support of the bridge. Like a scene from an adaption, the events from that day play before me, the wounded Nevermore recovering in the background as the me from back then shouts at them.

 _"I don't care whose fault it is! Blaming each other and squabbling over 'Fault' isn't going to get us out of here alive! If anything, all you're doing is helping the bloody Nevermore!"_

I flinch. Presented to me again, those words feel almost audacious. I can't believe I ever said them in the first place, it seems so unlike me. Even now, looking at myself, my brain wrestles to form a connection. I wouldn't do any of this. No, I definitely wouldn't be this brazen. Put in that situation again, I know I'd crumble. I would be in the corner, having an anxiety attack. An actor being in my place would make more sense.

"Tell me, Eren, who do you see?"

I glance at Professor Ozpin, seeking an answer but… I don't have one. I'm aware he's really me but, I can't possibly fathom it. We're too different.

I don't know this person.

"Do you wish to know who I see?" He offers. "I see someone stuck in a terrible situation, one rife with disaster at every turn. I see someone confronted by chaos, disorder, frayed rivalries beyond reason. I see someone stricken by fear, aware of the danger surrounding them and consequences most fatal should nothing be changed."

 _"I don't know you guys very well but… Damn it. I don't want any of you to die."_

"I see someone who made a choice."

As the footage rolls-on, I watch as my doppelgangers suicidal gambit almost earns him a one-way trip to the Nevermore's stomach as icicles sprout out from Weiss' glyphs, successfully pinning it to the support. _  
_  
"Mister Liddell, I see someone who threw aside his fear for the sake of others. Who could be capable of saving so many lives one day," Professor Ozpin explains. "If he allowed himself to be so."

Weiss falters, exhausted from her last blast of glyphs. The Nevermore circles around the central bridge and like a battering ram, blasts towards Weiss. My doppelganger pushes her forward and rolls away, right before the Nevermore blasts straight through where they've just been standing.

"It is understandable to be afraid of the position, Mister Liddell. Leadership is a daunting responsibility. But, it is also one that can strengthen a person. Leadership can shift and harden even the most timid of men into people worthy of protecting every they hold dear."

My doppelganger stands, the Nevermore hovering in front of him. It barrels forward, ready to smear him and his Aura-less frame against the bridge brickwork. A single shot blinds the Nevermore and it crashes straight into the bridge itself. That, I note, was the killing blow.

"I gave you the position not only because you were the best candidate, Eren Liddell. I gave you the position because you were the one who needed it the most."

I gaze back at Professor Ozpin, forcing myself away from the surreal scene presented to me. My eyes wander throughout the room, unsure what to do with themselves. I… don't really know how to accept all this.

"However, I can't force you to accept it, even if I wanted to. A leader who has no desire to lead is destined for destruction," he says. "If you still believe you're incapable and wish to forfeit your position, then very well. I shall revoke your leadership status and make do some other way. We shall never speak of it again."

It's… an enticing offer, I'll admit. An official out, nothing like the agreement Weiss and I had before. But, despite my inclination, I'm… not as certain of myself. Not as sure that this is truly a good idea as I once believed when I first tried to rid myself of it. I can't, for good measure, make that decision. At least, not here.

"But first," he points down. "Would you kindly put your Scroll on the table for me?"

Befuddled as I am, I nevertheless does as he says, placing my Scroll opposed to his. A few taps here and there from the Professor and my Scroll begins receiving something. Hearing a light ping, and the indication from Professor Ozpin, I pick up my Scroll and find that it's downloaded a video.

It's an exact copy of the footage he's just shown me.

"P-Professor!" I gape. "Th-this is school property! A-am I even allowed this?"

"Well, I _am_ the Headmaster, after all. I don't think anyone will object if I'm the one giving it to you," he chuckles mirthfully. "Besides, the footage recorded during initiation was purely for skill assessment. Now that you're all in your teams, it will simply waste away in our archives until it's either forgotten or deleted for extra file space. I believe you'll put it to much better use."

"Th-that's very generous of you," I say, bowing my head. "Um, thank you sir!"

"I simply request this," he says, storing his Scroll away. "Take a good look at the boy you see here, see who you are from a faraway perspective, and ask yourself something."

"What kind of person do you want to be?"

Blinking at his question, the Professor once again decides to take his leave.

"Ask yourself that, and then take the strides necessary to become that person," he says, raising a hand in departure. "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Mister Liddell. If you ever need to talk, my office is always open."

The door closes and I'm left alone.

I gaze down at the video file in my hands, Professor Ozpin's question resounds in my head.

What kind of person do I want to be, huh?

…I open the file and rewind.

Play.

 _"I don't know you guys very well but…"_

 _ _"I don't want any of you to die."  
__

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, with this published, I can officially confirm the arc will definitely be over in two chapters. Very sorry for the delay. The moral of this arc is that overambition is a bastard and secretly wants to murder you in your sleep. Bleh.

There was another portion that I had finished for this but, comparing it with what's going to happen in the next chapter, it seemed more fitting thematically to slot that in there. Not entirely confident about that decision but, at least with that part done, I can focus on the rest of that chapter. Probably going to make two hella big chapters to cap off this neverending arc but, eh.

Honestly, despite how well-received people found the last chapter, I'm starting to feel it highlights how bloated my prose is getting. As much as I feel I've improved with my dialogue, I'm becoming more and more dissatisfied with everything surrounding it. It's essentially the opposite of how I felt this time last year.

Thank you very much for reading. How do you guys feel about the story so far? How about the prose? Do you feel it'd be better off if I cut down on it between dialogue or do you not notice much of a difference? Be sure to let me know in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged!


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